Shameless
by Jamaica-tan
Summary: Aburame Shino is a straightlaced, perfect student of Tokyo University. One night on the train he suddenly finds himself responsible for a loud-mouthed drunk named Kiba. From there, he can't seem to shake Kiba off, but does he really want to? AU, Yaoi.
1. Introduction

Shameless

Pairing: (So far) ShinoKiba, ShikaCho, SasuNaru, NejiHin and many more!

Warning(s): Yaoi, Homosexuality, Swearing, mentions of the sex trade,

Disclaimer: Masashi Kishimoto owns _Naruto_, and I suppose _My Sassy Girl_ belongs to Ho-sik Kim (novel), Jae-young Kwak (screenplay) and Jae-young Kwak (Director). I am but a lowly student with massive debt. If I owned Naruto there would be a lot less flashbacks and a lot more gangbangs 8D.

Summary: Aburame Shino is a straight-laced, perfect student of Tokyo University. One night on the train home he suddenly finds himself responsible for a loud-mouthed drunk named Kiba. From there, he can't seem to shake Kiba off, but does he really want to?

Spoilers: Slight spoiler for _Naruto_, Chunks of spoilers from _My Sassy Girl_

Note: The plot bunny for this must have been stalking me for a while; I was innocently sitting on my couch watching _My Sassy Girl_, one of the few romcoms I enjoy, and BAM! The seed for this was planted. For those who have only seen _Naruto_, don't worry, I plan to keep all of the characters IC as much as I can, although this is AU. For those who have also seen _My Sassy Girl_, I'm not ripping off the movie. There are certain scenes and elements of the movie that are featured, but I hope I've put in enough original stuff for it to be different, after all, what the fun in doing it scene by scene, word by word. I've worked hard on this in my spare time and I have loads of hard copy notes, expect some creative liberties, but if anything seems screamingly wrong, feel free to tell me. If you like, tell me! I loves my feedback…

* * *

[Prologue]

My name is Aburame Shino, and I am in my twenties. I am a graduate of University of Tokyo for Japanese History and Natural History, and while those subjects fall under separate school faculties, my exemplary marks and extra-curricular interests meant an exception for my study choices. Reading back on what I've just written, it may appear that I am boasting about myself, but this is not so, as I will explain for those unfamiliar to my family. As an Aburame, a Tokyo Aburame, I come from a long line of respected academics, mostly of Etymology, Natural History, and Archaeology.

As an only child, and the son of Aburame Shibi, I grew up in a house of knowledge and pursuits, a book instead of television, holidays spent in the countryside where I captured crickets and ants in jars. On Sunday evenings the radio was turned on (at a moderate level, of course) for soft, classical music, therefore study is natural to me. I understand, and am quite happy with the fact that I am very much my father's son, we both do not believe in pointless chatter, and that a true friend will always accept that. In our silence we share a bond of understanding. Even now, my father and I can sit in the living room, reading our books. For hours we can exchange not a word, yet we are close in our companionship.

My mother, however, is very different. She is a Doctor in Philosophy, but aside from academics, outwardly she and my father have very little in common. She always has a task, cooking, shopping, working, and talking. She always talks, to the neighbours, her friends, her mother (who dislikes my father), even the postman. She is the type to make friends wherever she goes. She also talks at my father, I write 'at' because he only occasionally replies with an 'hmmm' response, otherwise he appears to ignore her, (I know he does not, they talk in their bedroom) But when my mother and I talk, she always looks animated when she speaks of something that interests her.

While I was young, I could not understand why my parents loved each other so much, they just appeared to be so different. As I grew older, I have seen my friend's relationships and break-ups, but I was always interested exclusively in my own type, and I believed that someone like me was best.

I would not be writing this if it were so, everything has changed, ever since that cold night I took the train home.


	2. Akihabara to Ginza

Shameless

1. Akihabara to Ginza

Disclaimer: Masashi Kishimoto owns Naruto, and I suppose My Sassy Girl belongs to Ho-sik Kim (novel), Jae-young Kwak (screenplay) and Jae-young Kwak (Director). I am but a lowly student with massive debt. If I owned Naruto there would be a lot less flashbacks and a lot more naughtiness 8D.

Author Notes: I'M ALIVE! I'm so bloody sorry for my writing lameness. Unfortunately, shortly after posting the prologue of this story, my silly head got all sad with a vengeance. For months I did nothing but lie in bed watching crappy talk shows. It's just now my life is starting to go back to normal. I never forgot this story, but I just assumed no one would care if I finished. Boy was I wrong! Seeing all your comments of encouragement moved me into writing again, I'm rusty but will definitely get better. So, this story is for you, MY SHAMELESS FANS! *Kissy face!*

Also I should mention here that since starting this, I found that there was a guy on IMBD, known as bumfromkorea, that translated most of the original weblog, and it's freakin' awesome, so I'll be including bits from that too.

* * *

"Ne, Shino..Shino..SHINO!"

He was startled from his thoughts, and turned to the direction where the thrown chopsticks came from, his friend Naruto.

"Pass the sake over!"

"You could have just asked me, instead of yelling and throwing things" He tutted inwardly as he filled his cup and passed the earthenware jug to Chouji, who paused from his eating just long enough to pass it over to Naruto. He sipped his drink, and grimaced slightly. Too sour…

"The sake has gone off"

"Ehhh?" Naruto looked at his cup as if it was poisoned for a second or two, then shrugged and took a gulp of his own drink "There's nothing wrong with it, it's awesome, and you're just too much of a pussy because it's too strong!" He took another deep drink and slopped another round of the hot drink into his cup.

"Shut up, you dobe" Sasuke, Naruto's boyfriend, muttered with a smirk "You're making everyone here look at you like you're a drunk"

"I'm not a DRUNK! And I'm not a dobe neither" Despite, his loud (Which was pretty normal for the blond) denial, Shino could see Naruto's tanned face was already starting to flush from the effects from the drink, he also saw Sasuke and Shikamaru exchange a look between them.

"You" Shikamaru started, loading the words carefully as he lit a cigarette, "Are drunk. And a lightweight girl"

The effect was instant and devastating. "Why, you-you MOTHERFU-"

CRASH!. Devastatingly funny that was, as Naruto tried to stand up and to punch his friend, all the while forgetting to use his legs. As the other patrons of the bar (and few passer-bys from outside) looked over in curiosity, Chouji laughed hard, clutching his stomach. Shikamaru was not too far behind and even Sasuke was chuckling.

Shino himself had to resist the urge to giggle and settled for a smirk, laughing was not for him, even with his friends. Laughing was…loud. It was one thing to be friends with people that made noise all the time, but contributing himself was simply out of the question.

As he took another sip of his Kakitamajiru(1) soup, watching Naruto sheepishly picking himself off the floor with Sasuke's help, he still wondered how he managed to get such a group of friends. Well, yes he knew how it happened, but it sometimes still seemed bizarre to him.

He had known Shikamaru and Chouji from high school, and the three of them had made the 'outsiders' group at the small and exclusive academy. Shikamaru was good looking enough to be considered a catch with the girls, but he had always preferred to spend all his time with his overweight, almost homely childhood friend, Chouji. They had another childhood friend, Ino, who went to another high school and was now studying abroad, but he knew that until high school they called themselves InoShikaCho, but now it was just ShikaCho. Shino had become friends with ShikaCho when they were all assigned for class cleanup duty one day, and it had progressed from then. Shino had always felt relaxed with them, most of their time together was spent outside, Shikamaru and Chouji eating and looking at the clouds, talking about nothing, and Shino with a book. Some times he kept a slight distance, he knew that there was an attraction between them even then. No tension or awkwardness, just comfort and closeness. They did not need to tell him when they started to date, he already knew.

When they entered Tokyo University, all studying Japanese History, they met Naruto and Sasuke in the first day of class, when Naruto accidentally called Shikamaru a bastard. It was a case of mistaken identity, and Shikamaru himself was not bothered (Or did not have the energy to be annoyed, Shino could still not tell) but Sasuke, who had been next to Shikamaru, was, and they started bickering in the room until the teacher came in. After class, Naruto (possibly after being threatened by Sasuke) apologized for his rudeness. From that day, all five sat together in their classes. At first Shino was…reluctant to talk to Naruto, such a crude, loud and thoughtless person, but eventually he started to warm to him, he was so friendly and animated, with the sort of personality (when he calmed down) you could not not like. He soon learned that Sasuke and Naruto were still a new couple, they had been in same high school and hated each other the whole time, yet started dating in the holiday between school and university.

His friends' relationships were interesting to Shino. ShikaCho he could understand, they had things in common with each other, and could spend hours together without annoying each other. Sasuke and Naruto was a different story, they fought at least twice a week and loved nothing more than antagonizing each other. At first, he decided it was lust that kept them together and that they would break up within a few months. But that was when they were eighteen, and now, nearly three years later, about to enter Grad school, they were still strong.

From the group's table position, they were at the front of the bar, next to the large window with a view of the December night, and a tall, lanky man about his age hurried past the window caught his eye, and he watched him for a moment. Shino himself had very few significant relationships in his life, the last being Takeru, when he was seventeen. That man looked a bit like Takeru, his type, slight, quiet and thoughtful. Naruto once teased him that he must be secretly straight to like such feminine men, but that was what he preferred, someone who could make his life a little easier. Maybe if the one day he brought home a boy to his parents, a delicate-but not effeminate man like that could perhaps ease the difficulty for him…

His phone started to vibrate on the table, almost falling off the table. He looked at the display screen, then grimaced slightly as he flipped it open.

"Hello, mother"

"Don't you 'Hello, mother' with me, young man, where the hell are you!" She always sounded annoyed on the phone, but this time she sounded, well, pissed off.

"I'm in a bar with my friends"

"You were supposed to help me clear out my office tonight, and you're in a bar?"

"But that's next week"

"What? You sure?"

"Yes mother, you said two days ago it would be next week instead because you had that meeting today. Check your diary"

A pause, pages rustling "Oh" He had to resist the urge to roll his eyes "Um…well then, be a good son and buy your mother a box of doughnuts"

"…Doughnuts?" He hated when she just changed the subject like that "It's nearly midnight, where would I get doughnuts?"

"Don't be silly, there's that American sweets shop near Ginza station that sells doughnuts, I think they close at two"

"But I'm in Akihabara-"

"Then it won't take long to get there, will it? Go get them for your old poor 'Kaasan(2) and make sure not to wake us up when you come home, okay?"

"But-"

"Goodnight!" Dial tone. He brought the phone down from his ear and stared in disbelief at it.

"Was that your 'Kaasan?" He looked up and saw Chouji looking at him in slight bemusement.

"Yes, she wants me to go to Ginza for doughnuts, right now"

"Now?" Chouji glanced outside with concern "But it's snowing, why didn't you say you'd do it tomorrow or something?"

Shino was already checking his wallet "Because even if I leave it for tomorrow, she'll never let the matter drop, and she'll go on about my ungratefulness" There was more than enough for the doughnuts and return journey "She's always irritable when she's writing a book, so right now it's best just to do as she says"

"Maaa, really?" Chouji still looked concerned but smiled a bit "Then why don't you go quickly then come back? I promise I won't eat the doughnuts as long as you bring me some"

He had to smile at that "With jam?"

"Yup, and a plain one for Shika"

.

Akihabara station had a crowd waiting for trains, which for a Friday night was pretty normal, but small enough that he was able to make his way to the far end of the platform away from the crowd without difficulty. Up at this end there was only a middle aged couple, and an elderly woman.

There was also a boy in a heavy grey coat, and even without seeing face, Shino could see that he was very drunk, because he was swaying slightly, head down. He was dangerously too close to the edge of the platform, in fact the tips of his sneakers were already over the edge. If he was not careful, he'd fall right on to the tracks. Shino quietly walked to the front of the platform, just out of grabbing distance of the boy. Hopefully if he started to fall he could catch the drunk in time.

Nearly five minutes later, the Tannoy's cheerful pre-announcer jingle started "Yamanote Circle Line train to Shinjyuku approaching, please keep a distance until the train arrives, and allow passengers to disembark first, thank you" He glanced at the drunk boy again, he was definitely swaying more. In fact he looked like he was about to go to sleep standing up. _'He's going to fall in'_.

Behind Shino, and the other end of the platform, the train lights appeared at the end of the tunnel, but all the registered in his mind was the increasing sounds of the train, and the boy swaying…his knees giving out…

As quick as he could, he grabbed the guy by the hood of his coat and pulled him a few steps away from the edge, letting go when out of immediate danger. A second later, the train passed where the boy would have fallen, and Shino looked quickly away, because the drunk was staring at him now. He had saved his life, but as far as he knew, the drunk could be thinking he was trying to rob him. Almost half a minute passed, the train slowing to a stop about a dozen feet ahead, and still the guy was staring at him. Just as the doors where about to open, Shino finally looked back at the guy to ask why was he was staring. He stopped. The drunk boy was not looking him in a malicious way, just looking in a slightly hazy but disturbingly focused way, which really did not make any sense. He could see now that the boy was about his age, with red facial tattoos, a lip ring, and a pierced eyebrow. A punk. After a moment, the boy sneered slightly then turned away, pulling up his black furred hood over his head before elbowing his way on to the train past the disembarking passengers.

.

For the longest time afterwards, Shino would consider what happened on that Friday night train journey to be one of the most bizarre incidents of his life. Well, in fairness, after this night a lot more strange things would happen, but since this was the turning point, he would remember it best of all.

At the time, however, it seemed that he was being lumbered with a fucking mess.

At first, it all seemed pretty normal, the drunk boy immediately leaned against the train doors opposite Shino quietly on the other side of the train. He carriage was not too full, all the seats were taken but only he and the drunk were standing. Most of the journey was uneventful, the boy was quiet, gripping the handlebar above his head in a tight grip, eyes closed. Possibly reaching some new level of drunkenness, Shino guessed, and he had to smile a little, because the boy was swaying in time to the movements of the train, eyes still closed, looking as if he was about to go to sleep. This rough looking guy, about to doze off, looked almost…cute. In fact, he was actually quite good looking. Not delicate, but maybe handsome, despite the strange things he put in his face. His hair was a messy dark brown (he supposed it was messier now), like he had been rolling around all day like a dog.

Suddenly, the boy made a hiccupping noise, then a weird sort of gulping hiccup, like he was trying to keep something down. He lurched to the side to lean against the nearby pole by the seats, groaning slightly. Shino looked around quickly, only he seemed to be paying attention to him, he was still hiccupping, still swaying. He was… he looked like he was going to… Oh he hoped he wasn't going to-

Abruptly, the boy shivered violently, and vomited on the man in the seat in front of him.

Now that had everyone's attention, including (obviously) from the man who had been sick on.

There was a stunned silence, except for the boy turning his head to be sick again on the floor nearby. The man, after about ten seconds, slowly wiped his head with his newspaper, and looked at in disbelief and horror. Then, slowly, reached up again and pulled off his toupee, now plastered in vomit. Only after staring at that for a few agonised moments, did he look at the boy next to him, bent over double holding his stomach, shivering. Everyone on the carriage was still too stunned to do anything, but for Shino, it only got worse from there.

The boy eventually managed to stand up again, definitely looking for the worse, and spotted Shino with his dazed eyes. He smiled, reached towards him, and spoke;

"Honey…honey …." And promptly passed out.

Another shocked silence, only this time Shino felt all eyes on him. He was as shocked as everyone else! Why had that guy-

"YOU!"

He actually jumped that time. It was that time he felt his shoulders and back rubbing against the doors, like he could run away from this. He looked at the direction of the voice, and saw the man with vomit on him standing up, face turning red with rage.

"You're responsible for this guy!"

"No-" Shino started.

"It's true!" A lady stood up this time, wearing sunglasses (at this time of night? On the Underground?) "I saw them getting on the train together"

"Why didn't you look after him!" The man's face looked like it was about to turn purple, and he was holding his stained toupee in a white knuckled grip.

This was bad.

"Um"

Shino could not believe this, he really could not believe this.

Apparently he was now this guy's 'boyfriend', having to take responsibility for this oaf. He had to pay for the poor man's dry cleaning with all the money he had on him, as well as take off his sweater to mop up the mess. By the time he was done, the train had stopped, and he had to drag the boy out of the carriage by his legs. People who had seen what happened had tutted as they stepped over the boy. He even caught one or two whispers of "Deviants" and "Delinquent lifestyles". He, a delinquent? That was a first.

When the train left, with the platform empty, he briefly wondered if he should just leave this guy on the floor. He didn't even know this boy, and he had already gotten him into more trouble than he had even been in, in his entire life.

It was very tempting to just dump him on a bench and leave.

But he had not, he had decided to do the honourable (stupid) thing and carry him on his back to a hotel. Shino had just left the train station, and he was already sweating. Despite the snow, winter cold and his coat open, with the dead weight of the boy on his back and the fact that Shino was never the physical type anyway, his back was killing him.

As he walked on he looked around desperately, that had to be somewhere to dump this guy, people were staring and giggling.

Suddenly he saw a large, nondescript building off the main road, with blacked-out windows. A love hotel. He was not that desperate yet, and even he knew that those places usually charged by the hour.

His knees shook at the weight on him, and he felt sweat trickled down the back of his neck. Maybe he was that desperate.

He stared at the price list of 'The Sweetheart Hotel' tacked on the frosted glass in disbelief and more than a little disgust.

"¥10,000(3) for an overnight stay?"

The nondescript silhouette behind the glass shrugged, "Standard fee. Same for everyone, unless you want one of the really kinky rooms, that's extra"

"But I'm just… we're just looking for a place to sleep, we're not going to…do anything else"

"Sure kid, whatever you say. That's the price, take it or leave"

Well, of course he had to take it, the sooner he ditched this dead weight the better, not only was his back killing him but the guy was making him deaf in his left ear with his snoring.

"Alright"

.

Shino had to practically throw the guy on the bed before his back broke in two. Still burning hot, he stripped off his coat and sat with his back to the large bed, out of breath. Three floors. He had climbed three flights of stairs, because there was no lift in the building. He really, really, should have asked about that before he signed the agreement form. Right now he was so exhausted he wanted to die. In the last thirty minutes he had cleaned up vomit, carried this guy for nearly a mile and up dozens of stairs, and, with the cost of the dry cleaning and the room, he was nearly "¥43,000 out of pocket, and that wasn't even counting the loss of his sweater. And the bastard was still out cold, still snoring, still annoying.

About ten minutes later, when his breathing was back to normal, he glanced at the boy on the bed, who had now rolled towards the other side of the bed, and started snoring again.

It was very tempting to just fall asleep here. But he really did not know this guy, or how he would react in the morning, waking up in the morning with a stranger.

As Shino put on his coat and pulled his wallet from his slacks, he wondered for the first time that night what he had done. He had done the decent thing, but he did not even know this guy, and he had gotten into trouble for him. Being in trouble was a pretty foreign concept to him, and he was not sure if he liked it. He had always been trusted and liked by his elders for his perfection and reliability, but it was as if this boy's delinquency had infected him from when he saved him from falling.

A delinquent. Aburame Shino, a delinquent.

He counted his money. Not enough cash, he would have to pay with his credit card, and explain the transaction to his parents later. There was a desk by the window with hotel stationary. He picked up a pen that had seen better days, and a piece of headlined paper, and scribbled a quick note for the boy, that he carried him when he passed out, and to call when he was awake. Just as he finished writing his number, he glanced at the clock. Just past two. He needed to get home soon for a decent night of sleep.

.

… Why was his pillow was moving?

Shino raised his head fuzzily, his eyes barely open. It did not look like it was moving, but he put his hand on it just to make sure, as his head cleared. It definitely was not moving, but vibrating. He lifted the pillow cautiously. It was his phone, which explained a lot.

Rubbing his eyes, he put on his glasses and opened his phone without looking at the display screen.

"Hello?"

The line almost crackled with the venom of the voice on the other end of the line; "Oi, you bastard, what the fuck did you do to me!"

* * *

1. Egg drop soup. Made with string beans, shiitake mushrooms and egg.

2. Informal term for 'mother' i.e. mum, or mom. Shino would call her 'Okaasan' (mother), but I used 'Kaasan' here to informality… writing 'mum' here just seems wrong .

3. About £64, or $104.

* * *

A/N: Mwahahahahahaha! (Five exclamation points, a sure sign of insanity.)

Love it? Want to kill me because it's that bad? Then review!


	3. Nature Boy

Shameless

2. Nature Boy

Disclaimer: Masashi Kishimoto owns Naruto, and My Sassy Girl belongs to Ho-sik Kim (novel) and Jae-young Kwak (Screenplay and Director). I am but a lowly student with massive debt. If I owned Naruto there would be a lot less flashbacks and a lot more naughtiness 8D.

Author Notes: Hey all. I'm alive, hooray! Assignments are well evil ¬.¬

Just to let you know, I've always found Shino (and Sasuke, and probably Gaara if I ever write him outside of _'Carry on Naruto!'_) very hard to write. It's hard to write him in the original Naruto universe, and it's even harder in this one! I mean, he's generally hard to write about, but trying to keep him and everyone else in character…*dies*

I've noticed some things I needed to change in this story. In the prologue, Shino is now in his 'twenties', and in part one he's about to turn twenty one, I'm keeping it vague for a reason!

Also, some chapters from now will be named after songs. It's not exactly a fan mix, but I each title will be a song that either Shino or Kiba would or probably like. The title of this chapter is, of course, 'Nature Boy' by Nat "King" Cole, I love him :3

I especially want to thank my friends Redundant Goddess and Scribbling Ninja, for beta-ing and general supportive awesomeness :D.

* * *

5 PM.

Konoha Café.

Nihonbashi district.

The door to the café was made of a kind of a grubby cheap white plastic; Shino could hear the door practically scratching at the hinges as it closed behind him. Wafts of greasy hot air hit him; the café was so warm that he had to quickly wipe his glasses with his jumper sleeve to stop the warm fog clouding the vision. Sleeve lowered, He looked around the small café. Not much like the places he and his friends usually went to, he noted. The laminate floors, the furniture, the obnoxious red walls plastered with yellowing posters, like the front door, all looked pretty cheap. Even the staff did not muster much enthusiasm for the place, from the look of the waitress listlessly wiping down a table top. Most of the patrons were bent industriously over their meals, not taking the slightest notice of him, standing by the door, feeling increasingly awkward in his expensive coat and heavy scarf.

The only person not eating was a young man, sitting near the end of the seating area, made dark by a broken light overhead. His head was down, stirring his drink, still wearing his coat with the furred hood up. That was the boy from last night, the one he had come to see. Shino sighed, and made his way towards him.

As he approached the boy looked up, and their eyes met.

The boy was definitely sober this time; he looked stunned for a split second when he first looked at him, but was now wearing a rather sour look, he did not look happy to see him.

He didn't look happy to see him? Shino himself was not thrilled to be here in his spare time, to meet some stranger he had suddenly been lumbered with last night, who had yelled at him down the phone this morning accusing him of all kinds of perverse things, but at least he was here.

"You" The boy said after a moment.

Shino did not reply, merely stood by the table.

The boy took a sip of his cola, still glaring at him;

"Did you feel me up?"

What? He was almost physically taken aback "…Excuse me?"

"Did you?"

"No"

"Good, because I don't give it away for free"

Well, what can you can say to something like that? Shino did not know, so he continued to stand there uncomfortably, the only thing he could take in aside from the boy's bluntness, vulgarity, and outright rudeness was that he had a slight Zūzū-ben (1) accent. The boy still looked hostile, but said nothing as they both stared, assessing each other. Finally, the boy leant back in his chair, pulling out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from his coat pocket "Aren't you gonna sit down?"

Shino sat as the boy lit up a cigarette, frowning slightly. He really detested smoking, he only put up with Shikamaru's habit because he was his friend, but this was irritating and rude, to just start smoking in front of someone you don't know, without asking them if it was okay.

"Do you have to?"

"Fuck you" Apparently the boy had never heard of courtesy, although the words had no malice in the tone. He should have guessed really, a person with facial piercings and face-paint (not tattoos, he had seen his smeared scarlet marks last night) would not be known for manners. He was wasting precious time here, better to get this over with.

"So" He started, "You want to know about last night"

"Obviously. I mean, I ain't never seen you before, we didn't have sex, but this morning I woke up in some strange crappy love hotel with a hangover and your number on a post-it on a table. I know where the hangover came from, but you gotta tell me the rest"

And so he told him. When he got to the part about being sick on the man with the toupee, the boy laughed loudly, snorting and howling as he bent over double, shoulders shaking. Shino paused during this time, it really was not a funny story, but he had to hold back a small smirk from the boy's reaction. Finally the boy stopped giggling, and looked up from the table from his hunched position.

"Go on" He said, still smiling "Finish the story"

As he went on to when the boy called to him, the smile quickly faded, and after Shino finished the explanation, he was quiet.

After about a minute, Shino was really starting to wonder what was so interesting about him, because the boy was staring at him again. He had finished his cigarette and instantly lit a new one without taking his eyes away. He did not look hostile this time, only thoughtful. But it annoyed him that the boy certainly did not look sorry or embarrassed for his drunken actions last night. Finally;

"So I called you honey before I passed out"

"Yes"

The boy flicked ash into the glass ashtray in front of him "Huh…did I say why?"

"No, I just assumed it was the drink"

"Ah"

More silence, the same as before, the boy smoking and looking at him, with Shino wondering why the hell he was still here.

Finally, the boy put out his second cigarette, looking as if he had made his mind up about something.

"Let's get out of here"

Shino blinked "What?"

"Let's go, I owe you a drink"

He blinked again "A drink?" He thought the boy was still recovering from last night!

"Don't copy what I say like a moron, let's go!" Already the boy was already up, drink empty, coat zipped and (meagre) tip rattling on the plastic table top, hands on hips and looking expectant. Shino quietly stood;

"I actually have some work to do-"

"Do it later!" The boy grabbed his arm and started to drag him to the door "I'm buying you a drink, and you'll enjoy it even if I have to force it down you!"

.

"Oi! OI! OI BASTARD! Yeah I'm talking to you, you're disgusting! She's like 14!"

Staring at someone's rear end might be the entire point of bars and clubs, but it never really was Shino's thing. So seeing the boy drunk and half-collapsed over the wall of their booth, verbally abusing the people next door, did nothing but annoy him.

"Mind your own business!" He heard the girl demand, with a hint of panic in her voice.

"He looks old enough to be your teacher!"

Shino merely frowned and moved the Sake bottle away from the boy's flailing legs, to prevent it spilling over. This really was ridiculous. The boy has made good on his (unwanted) promise of buying him a drink, (he had asked for tonic water, but instead got an unwanted beer) but had bought himself an entire bottle, not a small flask (2), of Sake, with one cup…which was ignored for drinking straight from the bottle. This was not funny. Not at all.

"I mean seriously, do you want that designer bag that much you'll sleep with this old man! I know you're legal, but ewww!" (3)

He had to leave before he was in danger of laughing!

"Excuse me for a moment, I need to use the bathroom."

.

Shino did not need to use the bathroom, but out of a need to do something he washed his hands, then removed his glasses to splash his face with the cold water. He wiped his face with his sleeve, blinking away from the bright overhead lights while he put his glasses back on. Not for the first time since…meeting the boy, he wondered what the hell he was doing. Since being dragged to the bar all the boy had done was drink Sake and call him every name under the sun. He supposed it might be curiosity, after all he did not know why the boy was drunk last night or why was he alone, (Well, now he was beginning to suspect a drink problem) but he had not even given his name, nor asked Shino for his. All he called Shino was 'you' and 'hey you', which was almost unspeakably rude, considering they had just met. Perhaps he was being rude as well, as he had not asked the boy for his name either.

Shino was considering leaving when his phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket. Naruto.

"Hello"

"Hey Shino, we're thinking of going to the arcade, you in?"

"I can't, I'm already out"

"The library doesn't count as being out! C'mon…" Naruto sounded like he was in danger of whining, then he suddenly paused "Wait a minute, I can hear music in the background! Are you out?"

"I just told you I was"

"Yeah but, there's music so you're not in the library, it's not the type of music you like…are you on a date?"

He decided to not to dignify that stupid question with an answer, but obviously, Naruto took his silence as confirmation.

"Ahhhh" Shino could just imagine Naruto getting that sly look on his face now, like a fox.

"No Naruto, it's a long story, but it's just a drink"

"Sure"

"I mean it, it's not a date"

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. Have a good time" Just before the line disconnected he heard: "Hey Sasuke! You'll never guess what Shino is doing!"

…

Well, at least that would get Naruto off his back for a while, the blond was always harassing him to date or 'get laid'. However, it would also mean eventually telling his friends about the mess he had found himself in, since Naruto barely waited until the line was disconnected to tell Sasuke, all of his friends would know in less than half an hour. But before that knowledge had time to sink in, his phone rang again. He looked down at the screen, expecting to see Naruto calling to annoy him again, but it was just his mother.

"Dearest son, I have a question for you"

"Ah" He said, he had a feeling what it was about "What is it?"

Well, I came into the kitchen this morning, and there was an empty space where the doughnut box should have been. Now I know you got in late last night, but what happened between the time I called you at a reasonable hour, and when you came home without my damn doughnuts"

"I-"He started to answer, and then hesitated. Should he tell her the truth?

" 'I' what? Someone stole them?"

"No" Shino briefly wondered if she was more interested in her sweets than him "I was on the train to Ginza, but there was a kind of accident"

"Accident?" She sounded concerned "What kind?"

"Nothing dangerous, a girl was sick on the train, and I looked after her and took her to the hospital. But she also wanted me to stay with her until she knew what was wrong"

"Oh? A girl?" Now there was a hopeful lilt in her voice, and his heart sank slightly. . Of course his parents did not know he was gay, so of course he lied. "She was pregnant"

"Oh" The hope in her voice dropped "Is she okay?"

"Yes, last I heard" He felt uncomfortable, changed the subject "Do you want me to buy you some tonight?"

"Hmm?"

"Doughnuts"

"Oh! Oh no, I bought some on the way home earlier. You with your friends?"

"Mmmm"

"Ah well I'll let you get back to them, have a nice time"

He hung up.

Well…he was getting better at lying to his parents, as if he had any choice. It was not as if it did not bother him. He had carried this constant guilt with him like a parasite, the only way he could think of it was a small insect, like the Kikaichū bug, burrowing through his skin, and every time he had to twist the truth or outright lie about his sexuality to his family, he felt the phantom pain of the bug eating away at his flesh. This really was not a date, but if he had told the truth he would have to answer the questions of why he was seeing such a person again, and even he was not 100% sure about the answer.

But at the same time, he was nearly twenty-one, after his graduation he would be expected to get married. He really had to…

"Are you okay?"

He started slightly, he had not heard anyone approach him, but there the boy was standing a bit too close, looking blearily at him. He looked as wasted as he did last night, but he looked almost concerned. Shino pushed away from the sink, standing straighter, but he knew his expression was not the type to be easily read.

"Yes, I'm fine"

"Bullshit" The boy smirked slightly, "We're both unhappy"

What?

"Anyway" The boy continued, as if he had not said anything strange "I don't feel well, you need to take care of me"

And with that, the boy passed out again.

.

Why? In the name of whatever deity or deities that might exist out there, why did this have to happen again? It was as if the Gods were taking a special pleasure in mocking him.

The same streets, same amount of people staring (which was everyone), and the same dead weight on his back.

Again, the backache, again the same creaking feeling in his spine and again, the need to get rid of the dead weight on his back. Again, when he looked around, he saw…

'The Sweetheart Hotel'

.

"I see young people like to party as much as always" said the blurry figure "But I didn't expect to see you here for a while"

Shino's knees were beginning to shake and his voice was strained; "One room please"

"Same as last night kid, sign here" The metal slot opened and pushed out a form

To get his wallet, he'd have to let go of the boy's leg, bend his knees and lean forward to reach his pocket, and most likely break his back in the process. He would have to put the boy down somewhere, and looked up and down the hall… not so much as a chair.

"Can't I put him on a bed first, and then come down to pay?"

"Sorry, against the rules" A pause, then: "Stay where you are, in front of the camera."

A few seconds later, a buzzer sounded, and a (invisible until now) door opened, and a metal folding chair was shoved out as the door slammed behind it.

"Put him there"

Thinking about it, as Shino wrote his card details, it seemed that his luck really was against him to find the same unfriendly place twice.

.

Shino sat and leaned backwards, so that the boy would just fall back onto the bed, and started to stand as he let go of his legs. A tug, and to his surprise he found himself pulled back on to the bed.

He blinked, then swore quietly, he had landed on the boy with his hand twisted/caught behind him. As tired as he was, he quickly rolled off to another part of the bed, first untwisting his hand from its uncomfortable position, then, once he saw why his hand was caught; somehow a chain from the boy's belt had twisted and wound itself around his hand and wrist several times. After struggling for several minutes, he eventually found it easier to unclip the damn chain from its loop to free himself.

Eventually he unzipped his coat, and, after a moment of thought, eventually managed to wrestle the boy's coat off, hanging them both on the back of the desk chair. He then pulled off the boy's shoes and put them next to his by the door, then turned off the lights.

Shino, too tired to really think, simply lay next to this strange, strange person that had hijacked most of the past forty eight hours of his life. All he thought was that he was a light sleeper; he would sleep for maybe an hour or two, then catch a late train home.

He closed his eyes, took off his glasses and put them on the bedside table. Heard the boy shift, rolling away from him. At least he wasn't snoring anymore…

He must have fallen asleep at some point, because the next thing Shino knew, he was suddenly kicked in the ribs as the boy scrabbled over him. There was a flurry of tangled limbs for a moment before the hit the floor. Or rather, Shino hit the floor, whereas the boy just hit the floor running to the bathroom. As he lay on the floor, dazed and trying to catch his breath, Shino heard the boy being heartily sick in the next room in what he hoped was the toilet. After a few minutes of staring at the ceiling, it dawned on him that the lights were still off, but there was light in the room. He sat up slightly to look at one of the two-way mirrored windows. The curtains were drawn back, letting pale light creep into the room. Morning.

He grabbed his glasses and put them on, then checked his watch.

"Oh" He said at last.

"Oh?" The boy emerged from the bathroom looking scruffier than ever, holding a cup of water.

"Its morning, we've been here all night"

"Oh. Okay" The boy handed Shino the water, then went to the bathroom again for a moment, coming back with another cup of water and sitting on the bed, making himself comfortable as if he was used to being hotel rooms with strangers.

"Nice room you picked this time" The boy said with a smirk "It's better than the last place you dumped me in"

"I'm sorry?"

"You should be, a fucking Hello Kitty room, well not literally, 'cos that's kinda sick and I don't think this is that kind of Love Hotel. But…" He glanced around the room "Pirates I can live with"

"What?"

"You blind as well as snobby? Didn't you look at the room when you came in?"

"I was preoccupied" But all the same, he really looked at what kind of room they were in. Last night, the only thing he had registered was to duck to avoid being hit in the head by a suspended wooden beam, and the pairs of handcuffs dangling from it. But now, he also saw the mural painting of a sea horizon on all the walls, complete with the huge ship on the opposite wall. There were also stripes pieces of cloth hanging down from the ceiling (sails?). The bed area was also partially closed off from the rest of the room by long wooden slats that came up to about his knees. He got up, and walked around to the other side of the partition. Plastic mini-canons were sticking out on this side. There were many eloquent things he could have said, but right now, all that seemed appropriate to say was:

"Tacky"

"It's still better than Hello Kitty"

Shino came back and sat on the bed, at a polite distance. There was a lull.

"I'm sorry" The boy said at last, sounding awkward "About last night, and the night before, it won't happen again" He gave Shino a kind of sleepy half smile. Despite looking almost ridiculous in his tight jeans and crumpled oversized t-shirt, with half his hair sticking up everywhere, and that sort of half smile…did he look cute?

No.

Certainly not.

Not even a little.

"Its okay" He found himself saying at last.

"Cool"

.

"So what happened next?" Naruto and Chouji both looked like they were on the edge of their seats, although the former looked a little suspicious. Sasuke was still eating, but still gave him an expectant look, while Shikamaru smoked silently.

"Nothing happened"

"NOTHING!" Naruto shrieked, and the old couple on the next table gave them a disapproving look.

"Well, we checked out and went our separate ways"

"Nothing?" Chouji echoed, looking stunned, dropping his chopsticks into his noodles into his nearly empty bowl, while Naruto looked as if Shino had insulted him.

"I can't believe nothing happened. You, and hot guy, a hotel, how could you not have sex? I can't understand it!"

"Keep your voice down, dobe, you want other people hearing?" Apparently Sasuke had also seen the old couple looking more outraged.

"I just don't get it, how could they not?"

"Perhaps neither of them is as whoreish as you"

"Shut your mouth, you motherfu-"

Shino quickly tuned out the bickering couple and look at Shikamaru and Chouji. Chouji had recovered his appetite and was polishing off the remainder of his lunch, while Shikamaru just looked bemused, and asked him;

"Did you get his number?"

"No, well it's on my phone as a received number"

Shikamaru and Chouji exchanged a look between them, "If you want to" Shikamaru said "You could block his number so he can't phone you again"

"Sounds like a good idea"

.

"Well" Sasuke commented, "Sounds like you had an interesting two days"

The two of them were walking towards the library, Naruto had a meeting with a teacher, while Chouji and Shikamaru were meeting Ino at the airport.

" 'Interesting' is not the word I'd use, he got drunk and was sick on a train, and I somehow got blamed for it, and I ended up being saddled with him. I don't think I've ever met someone so annoying in my life"

"You sound like me before I admitted I liked Naruto"

"Very funny"

"I'm serious, and we're doing fine"

"You and Naruto were friends long before you started to date, and anyway you two fight all the time"

"True, but we also make up all the time" From Sasuke's smirk Shino could guess how exactly they made up.

"Anyway" Sasuke continued "We still annoy each other, last night Naruto said I dressed like a dork, and I told him he looks like he gets dressed in the dark"

"What did he say?"

"He told me to go fuck myself"

"Witty comeback. At the bar that boy said I dressed like a salary man. He said that with a face full of piercings, wearing a t-shirt with obscene pictures on it"

"Some people have no taste"

.

5PM.

On his way home, Shino stopped outside a ramen restaurant, thinking about stopping for a quick meal. Afterwards he would go home and continue studying for his next assignment. The piece was not due for another month, but it never hurt to be well prepared.

He was about to walk in, when very suddenly something touched his leg. To his credit, he did not jump, but he did start slightly and turned around. It was a friendly but huge tan coloured dog with brown markings sniffing his leg, it was leashed but its owner was looking at the menu for the restaurant, hood up and smoking.

Quickly but gently batting the dog's nose away (to stop it from sniffing anywhere private), he said;

"Excuse me, your dog…"

The owner turned to look at him.

Oh no.

"Eh, it's you again"

Oh no.

"You work near here?"

No!

He turned to run…

.

"You bring nothing but shame to your fellow nerds, you know that?"

The boy's voice echoed from the kitchen. Shino was in the bathroom, sat on the edge of the bathtub. The dog had followed him in and was sat happily next to him.

"I just say hello and you run off! And not just that-"

Wasn't it unfair to berate him while he couldn't defend himself?

"You turn to run off and you trip over your own feet? Geeze!"

The boy walked back in, holding a kitchen towel, presumably holding the ice cubes he promised. Shino wordlessly grabbed the towel and held it to his bloody nose.

How humiliating. He had fell, and bashed his nose hard enough for a nosebleed.

The boy had called him an idiot, and demanded on dragging him to his apartment nearby so he could clean up.

What little he saw of the apartment was definitely not what he expected. It was in a luxury building, and the bathroom he was sat in was much bigger than normal bathrooms, he could only guess that the rest of the apartment was large as well.

"I ran away" He said at last "Because bad things always happen to me when you're around"

"Really? Eh…" The boy rubbed the back of his neck "Could just be bad timing, I mean it's not my fault you fell over"

Shino gave him a look.

"Oi, I already apologised about the other stuff"

The boy sat next to him near his dog, which immediately put its head in his master's lap.

"This is ridiculous" Shino said at last.

"What?"

He removed the towel "We've known each other for technically two days and we've not told each other our names" He wiped his nose with a corner of the towel, then turned to the brunet, bowing his head slightly "I'm Aburame Shino, and I'm a student"

The boy looked a little surprised at the sudden outburst, then grinned slightly, returning the bow.

"Pleased to meet you. I'm Inuzuka Kiba, and I'm a rent boy"

* * *

(1) Zuzu-ben is a Chiba accent. According to my research, Eastern Kantō dialect (including the Chiba prefecture) is especially similar to the Tōhoku dialect, which means Kiba grew up with a dialect different to the standard Japanese (Tokyo) dialect, which Shino and the rest of the cast speak naturally, so Kiba has an accent in this story. Why? Well when I looked up information about Kiba, a website said that he and his family were based on a real feudal family, named Inuzuka, in Chiba. So I kinda built his back story around him coming from Chiba. Even if that source turns out to be bullshit, I don't really care because I have a good back story anyway!

(2) (Most of the knowledge is from the University of Wikipedia so let me know if any of it is lies) Okay kids, we all know that Sake is a traditional Japanese drink. Undiluted sake is 18-20% alcoholic, which is why it's normally served in a small ceramic flask, called tokkuri, and drunk from small cups, called choko. In this case … I've taken a bit of a liberty here. Because it's an informal setting (Kiba actually took Shino somewhere nice-ish, a bar for local young people) and for Kiba (lets assume he's a regular there) it would be borderline acceptable for him to have a bottle at the table. Shino of course, just thinks he's crass.

(3) Teenage prostitution known as Enjo kōsai, where teenage girls sell sex or dates for money to buy designer clothes and other overpriced items.

* * *

REVIEW FEEDBACK!

missionquestthing - Thank you! I corrected it as soon as you pointed it out (and when I figured out how ¬.¬)

Divinely Insane – I definitely will finish! Don't worry, this story follows me everywhere.

YoungSaiyan – I'm glad you liked the parents descriptions, I partly based Shino's mum on a S/K fic I read many moons ago, when Shino thinks of her. And yes, typing with gloves is bloody hard; try fingerless gloves for warmth and typing joy.

daughter of memories - No, not illegal, just annoying! I highly recommend you watch 'My Sassy Girl' (the original Korean version, not the remake, because I've never seen it and wouldn't want to accidentally recommend a crap film) it's a very funny and unusual love story I just hope my own spin on it can work good ('can work good? My God, my grammar is sliding away before I've even graduated!)

TehGlompingKitsune – It's annoying isn't it? I can't tell people to update either, lest I explode from the hypocrisy.

Makkah Mac – It's not forgotten! ^.^

BlueisLife - Thank you for viewing! I hope you enjoy the next part.

earthbender068 – I am a bad updater, I'm afraid; I can't multitask to save my life. Hehehe, Shino is such a good boy, that after something so stupid he'd think he was now some kind of bad boy, bless him. Believe me the train scene is HILARIOUS in the film, watch it!

YoungSaiyan – Lets see…8 months between the prologue and first chapter…5 months between the first and second chapter…that's lots better right? Right? …

lo – Thanks! This is my first AU fic and I was beginning to think 'Why? No one wants an AU for Naruto', but then I looked at all the recent Naruto fics, and felt better ^^

raynebow luv - Oh, there will be more. But tut-tut for Kiba getting blind drunk!

Tireseus - Will do!

demonlifehealer - Hehe, When I started planning the story and how they dress, I immediately thought Kiba=punk. The train scene is in the weblog and movie, and both versions are HILARIOUS, so much that I'll say it for a third time, HILARIOUS! Unfortunately, in the summer I was working full-time, and I got addicted to Pokémon Pearl…damn video games!

Frelennye – Hooray! No they don't get enough love, they make such a good odd couple, but then again I love odd couples.

mad hatter 1712 - ^.^

touda – Changed it, thanks for letting me know!

Suyiro Motsuko - Mwahahahahaha, I live to convert non-believers!

kiame-koi – Aw, thanks!

emodragon4life – Hehehe, I love it too!

Tapioca – Whoops thanks for pointing it out, I always seem to forget that

BoyLoveCuteness – If it happened to me, I'd be confused and pissed off, like Kiba. Plus horribly hung-over, like Kiba! Hooray?

Eternal-Hampsters-of-Doom – Will do!

APurpleAvacado – So many questions…that I can't answer yet! All I can say is by the time the story is finished, you'll have your answers!

Quackerjack-Queen – Ah yes, the second meeting, or as I call it, first date *Evil laugh*

happy reader – Thanks! Please remember to eat and take toilet breaks while you wait ^^

MizzAKA –You'll have to wait a bit until the guys meet Kiba, *Evil laugh*

A_Gest_Named_Mary – OMG. Your review. Made I larf. Don't worry about the plotbunny, its romping in fields and such XD

* * *

That's all for now, now I have a Popular Culture essay to tackle!

*Brandishes katana*

*Runs toward her Uni screaming*


	4. Mushi, Insect

Shameless

3. Mushi [Insect]

Disclaimer: Masashi Kishimoto owns 'Naruto', and 'My Sassy Girl' belongs to Ho-sik Kim (novel) and Jae-young Kwak (Screenplay and Director). I am but a lowly student with massive debt. If I owned Naruto there would be a lot less flashbacks and a lot more naughtiness 8D.

Additional credit should also go to Belle de Jour, author of 'The Intimate Adventures Of A London Call Girl' and 'The Further Adventures of a London Call Girl', which covers a lot of ground on what high class prostitution is like. 'Mushi' is by Dir en grey, I used to love that band before they broke my heart ;_;.

Author Notes: Hey guys! I'm back! No more classes or dull assignments, I'm free! (Well mostly, I still have my dissertation), but from now on, there will be no more long delays unless something unforeseen happens.

On the Belle de Jour credit, Kiba's situation is slightly different from Belle's of course, what with being a gay Japanese male, but my Google-fu skills gave me pretty much nothing on Japanese gay prostitution. If this was a het story I'd be spoiled for all the info there is on the web, but since I didn't have anything, I have to take creative liberties. It's not too much of a stretch to assume that for everything in the hetero world of prostitution is also available in the gay equivalent, only on a smaller and more discreet world. Belle's books also covered the practical side of the job, such as agencies, equipment, dealing with clients, security, money handling, photos and privacy etc.

But anyway, you don't want to read my dull wafflings, you came for the story, and I hope you enjoy it.

Special thanks again go to my friends Redundant Goddess and Scribbling Ninja, for being awesome :D

* * *

Unlike most people his age, Shino was not the type to spend a lot of time on his phone. He stored phone numbers on it, and many phone calls he made were practical, to arrange meetings and to confirm details. Occasionally he would get calls from his family and friends. The day after his last encounter with Kiba, he was lying on his bed, looking at his list of received calls.

He knew that he was a sheltered man, but he certainly knew what a rent boy was. However, during the previous day at Kiba's place, his reaction of surprised silence had been taken as confusion, because the b- Kiba, _Kiba_, after a few moments, said flatly "That means I have sex with men for money"

"I know the meaning of the terminology" He said at last "But why did you tell me? We barely know each other, and it is illegal…do you think I want to have sex with you?"

Surprise flickered at across Kiba's face before he let out a bark of laughter "No! I thought I'd tell you now, since we were obviously meant to be friends"

"Friends?"

"Of course, this is the third time we've randomly met each other in three days"

"Yesterday you told me to meet you on pain of death, that is not random"

"Whatever, you didn't have to come, it's not like I know where you live or anything. So its fate"

Aside from his throbbing nose, his head was starting to hurt with the b-_Kiba's_ abstract and roundabout logic.

"Look, I think you're interesting, so lets be friends, what's wrong with that?"

The-_Kiba_ pulled out his cigarettes from his pocket and lit up.

"Don't smoke near me" He said automatically.

"Fuck off" Replied Kiba, probably also on automatic.

Now, he considered the line of numbers on his screen, which he knew belonged to Kiba.

Friend.

Shikamaru and Chouji had been his first friends, at fifteen. From a young age he always distanced himself from other children, preferring to read and learn about his favourite subject, insects. Other children were just annoying, slow and cruel, and he never cared for their immaturity.

Even now, he had only four friends, but they were people he trusted implicitly. Even Naruto (Who was a bit too 'in-your-face' for his own liking) was a great friend, and he knew that they trusted him, and respected him for what he was. Kiba was…unusual, to say the least. He had the feeling that Kiba and Naruto would get along very well, because they seemed very similar. It seemed unfair to compare them, he had known Naruto for nearly three years and Kiba for a mere three days, but right now they seemed very alike.

Except… Naruto was like an open book. He threw himself into everything, and won friends with the sheer_ force_ of his personality. The only thing off limits for discussion was his childhood, Naruto had once muttered something about his parents over a year ago, and that was all. Kiba, however, seemed more closed off. When sober, he was rude and abrasive. When drunk, he was worse, but_… __"We're both unhappy"_ there was something raw underneath the boy's skin.

Shino supposed he could understand a little, to go beyond the 'mizu shobai' (1) to prostitution possibly indicated a kind of desperation in a person, but he was unsure of how far this went in Kiba. He had said that they should be friends, on such flimsy evidence passed off as fate, despite the fact that they had very few conversations and had no apparent common interests. Either Kiba was after something, or he was just the type of person to accumulate meaningless acquaintances to call friends, to bolster his ego.

Despite himself, he pressed a few buttons.

_Number saved._

.

Two weeks later:

_Phone email from Inuzuka. K to Aburame. S. _

Come by my place today at 2. I'll make food. If you don't turn up I'll kill you! You remember where I live? It's apartment 23-C.

_Phone email from Aburame. S to Inuzuka. K. _

Okay.

.

Kiba's flat was as big as he remembered (2) it was a one bedroom place, with the bathroom, on the left from the entrance, which was big enough for a real bathtub, which he had not appreciated before. Across from the bathroom was a closed door, which Kiba told him was his bedroom and store room. The end of the hallway lead to a large area with a kitchen area to the left, drawn black curtains which presumably lead to the balcony, to the north. On the right were a large TV and entertainment system, a kotatsu (3), and a large crumpled futon. The rest of the room was filled with piles of clothes, video games, DVDs, videos and CDs. There were stacks of magazines everywhere, some so old that they were starting to curl and yellow at the corners. Belts and chains and tubes of hair gel lay scattered across the room. The small kitchen was okay aside from the stacks of pre-packaged human and dog food covering every available surface. Aside from the smell of dog the room was not really dirty, just very untidy and dusty. Shino's hands itched slightly to clean up.

"You don't sleep in your bedroom?" He asked as he put down his bag, trying to ignore Akamaru sniffing his crotch.

"Nah, I just keep my work stuff there and see some clients in there every now and then. You wanna see?"

"Not really"

"Course you do!"

"No. I don't"

Kiba flipped him off "Snob"

"I just don't think it's any of my business, and I don't care about what you do, so you can't shock me"

Kiba was mercifully quiet for a moment, then "You don't mind?"

"I wouldn't be here if I did"

"Heh, true" Kiba gave that lopsided grin again "But I like shocking prudes like you"

_Prude?_

"Anyways, food time!" Akamaru barked his approval, and the two bounded over a few steps to the kitchen area. Shino sat by the warm kotatsu and pulled out his planner. Kiba must have manic moods, he decided, to keep jumping from one subject to the next. He was not sure if he could keep up with the brunet's rapid subject changes.

.

Lunch consisted of a family sized bowl of instant Oden (4), with the most meagre helping of vegetables and, oddly for dish that is supposed to have fish and vegetables, was covered in beef steak jerky. It was good (aside from the jerky), but the preserving salt and artificial flavours of instant food always left a displeasing taste in Shino's mouth. Still, it was ambrosia compared to what ever Naruto or Shikamaru had ever tried. Kiba was a sloppy eater (like his dog), and he did not stop talking (unlike his dog, who seemed content to cuddle up to him)

The afternoon passed pleasantly with Kiba (who thankfully smoked by an open window), watching television and talking about how bad or good the popular shows were, with Shino offering a word or two of his own opinion. Surprisingly, they had similar tastes in television and films; pop star variety shows were, as Kiba delicately put it, "total shit", and they both preferred older shows set in the past, such as ninja, samurai or fantasy shows.

Shino eventually looked at his watch for the time, it was just after six and he was surprised at how fast the time had gone.

He looked over at Kiba, who was slouched against Akamaru and eating cookies. His hair was messier than usual and he was only in shorts, revealing several tattoos on his upper arms, and Shino had earlier seen one on his upper back and shoulders. Kiba had looked tired earlier, but now seemed livelier, presumably because he worked at night.

…

While he was being truthful about not objecting morally to Kiba's job, he was still somewhat curious about what he actually did.

He said at last, "May I ask you something?"

Kiba shrugged "Okay"

"Are you working tonight?"

"Yeah I work nearly every night, they usually call late, like between 11 and 2 at night"

"Why so late?"

"Well these guys usually go out with friends or work people, drink and get horny, so by the time they stagger home or a hotel they want sex, that's when they call"

"…Are you out all night?"

"Oi, that's more than one question"

Shino shrugged mildly "Curiosity"

"Hardly ever, sometime I get booked for all night, or I see two or three guys separately, but normally I go see one guy for two hours, get paid, and after I come home or go see my friends at work"

"Are they…" Shino paused, what was polite term for what he was about to say? Was there one?

"Are they night workers?"

Kiba cocked an eyebrow and grinned "'Night workers'? I like that" He scratched his cheek "Depends how you mean, a few work private like me, but some work in the Soaplands spas and clubs, and some just work as bartenders or whatever. One of my exes is assistant manager at a strip club so I always get free drinks there. You'll like him, when it's your birthday I'll take you therewith me and we'll get wasted"

"I dislike drinking to get drunk. And my birthday was last week"

"_What!_"

He disliked repeating himself, but he did so "It was last week, I don't really celebrate"

From the look on Kiba's face, he may as well have said that he liked skinning live puppies, by his expression of abject horror.

"You don't…_why?_"

He merely shrugged slightly, 'why' was none of Kiba's business.

"Well shit, I wanted to make it up to you for those other times-"

"By getting drunk again?"

"-But I'll just have to give you something instead" Kiba scratched his head and looked around the cluttered room.

"You want some porn?"

Shino would not dignify that with a response.

"Not your style? Well I ain't surprised, you look like your idea of a good time is a textbook on different types of mould" He muttered, then started to root among his piles of junk.

'_Textbook indeed'_ … He actually preferred reading the latest Entomological journals based on the wildlife of South East Asia.

"Ah-ha!" Kiba, who had been rifling through a leather jacket, looked triumphant, and held out something small and metallic in his hand, and Shino took it.

It was… it was a platinum money clip. A real, platinum money clip. It…

This was easily one of the most expensive things he had ever held, save for family heirlooms. He turned the piece over in his hands, it felt so heavy for an item so small.

"Where did you get this?"

"American customer, why?"

"Do you know how much this is worth?"

"Yeah"

"I can't accept this"

"Eh?"

"This is worth too much for someone to simply give away"

Kiba said nothing, but Shino felt like he had mortally offended him by refusing.

"I know I'm being rude, but we have only known each other a short amount of time, I would feel uneasy about taking this"

After a moment of uneasy silence, Kiba finally nodded, as if he agreed, and said "That's the most I've ever heard you say in one go, so I suppose I won't kick your ass, and I guess you're right, its weird to give something like that to a new boyfriend, and you have a nice voice, so that's okay" Kiba took the clip from his now slack fingers.

"I have to go to the bank tomorrow so I'll go sell this somewhere. For your present I'll get you something that's more you, when I've figured that out"

The brunet picked up his pack of cigarettes and stood "Want a drink? I got a craving for cold tea with this smoke"

Shino nodded slightly, his mind barely up to date with the question, not even registering that Kiba had lit up again while ambling over to the kitchen area…

_Boyfriend?_

"I'm your boyfriend? You said the other day we were friends" He finally managed when Kiba came back with two cans of green tea.

"Well yeah, I decided when you were bleeding in my bathroom, being all formal and cute, but what really cemented it is that Akamaru likes you, and he's the best judge of character. I know I have to win your heart, but I think it's worth it, so I'm telling you now. You want anything to eat, cos I wanna call for some takeaway soon"

.

Class, Japan Isolation Period 1630-1860, Duration: Four Hours.

"Where the fuck is Sasuke?"

A few days after his visit to Kiba's place, Shino and his friends were waiting for the previous class in the lecture hall to finish, they could file in for their overlong lecture. As a compulsory class the large hallway was clogged with over two hundred chattering, impatient students.

Among them, the four boys had squeezed themselves into a corner at the far end of the hallway. Shikamaru and Chouji were talking to each other privately (as much as you could in a packed hallway), so only really Shino heard Naruto's curse. The blond was checking his messages on his phone for possibly the ninth time in five minutes, before putting it back in his pocket.

"Perhaps he's on the train" He suggested at last, ignoring Naruto when he was in this mood would be pointless, not to mention deathly to his eardrums.

"He's not. If he was, the call would go straight to voicemail, but it's just ringing with no answer" Naruto pouted "That dickface"

"That's rather harsh"

"Whatever, I'm getting fucking tired of him being so mysterious"

"You already know that he prefers to have some time by himself"

"Yeah I know that, but…" The blond quickly looked around for any eavesdropper, before saying in a low voice "Before, in high school, Sasuke never used to just disappear, it's ever since that bastard Itachi-"

Naruto's jeans started to play an obnoxious tune, and Shino saw a flicker of his friend's brilliant smile, before he pulled it into a scowl as he pulled out his phone and yelled "Where are you, asshole?" into the receiver.

Definitely, it was Sasuke on the other end.

At last, the doors to the lecture hall automatically opened. Chouji and Shikamaru were still talking quietly, and Naruto was still engrossed in conversation with Sasuke as the class filed in, coming through the doors in time to see the preceding class leaving by the front doors.

Shino sometimes wondered about Sasuke and Naruto's relationship, if they weren't fighting they were a normal couple, but they fought and cursed each other so much, he had to assume they preferred it that way, slap and kiss… although that certainly raised some questions about what they did to each other to relieve tension before they dated. He knew that they had been rivals in school, and had once overheard a former classmate of theirs (who was talking to Naruto at the time) remark that they were almost infamous at their old school for fighting roughly. He was genuinely not the type to pry into others affairs, but after Kiba told about his variety of 'services' for his customers, it now briefly flicked across Shino's mind that for Sasuke and Naruto, fighting might be their foreplay.

As they were among the last people in, the only free place where they could all sit together was near the front, with seven seats free. Shino ended up sitting on the seat closest to the aisle, two seats free between him and Naruto. The seat next to his friend was of course for Sasuke, and he always sat one seat apart from his friends in lectures so he could fully concentrate without being bothered.

"You better be here soon, the old geezer is gonna be here pretty soon" Naruto hung up at last, all annoyed gone from his face "He's just gotten into the building"

Shino frowned at his friend "You should not call him that, we must show respect to our Professor, he is a respected historian"

"Eh, whatever"

After taking his notebook, textbooks and pen out of his bag, Shino decided to ask the question that had been playing on his mind. "Naruto, you said Sasuke did not disappear sometimes in high school, how did you know that? You and Sasuke have both made it obvious that you two were not friends in high school"

"Oh" Naruto looked embarrassed, leaned closer and lowered his voice to what he considered a whisper "Well, uh, I used to have a crush on this girl Sakura, and she was part of Sasuke's 'fanclub' that followed him around, and because I liked Sakura so much I was always trying to get her to date me, so I ended up moving around a lot with the fanclub"

"Oh...is that how you two became rivals?"

"Yep, I thought if I could beat him up she'd realise he was a loser and go for me… that kinda backfired"

"Is this the same Sakura the girl that you're friends with? The one that goes to Kyoto Medical School?"

"Yeah, she got over him about the same time I stopped liking her that way, and we became friends"

Less that a minute later, Sasuke hurried in, and Shino moved to let his friend go past him to sit next to Naruto. A few minutes later that the elderly Professor came in, and the class stood to bow.

.

Nearly two hours later, Shino was engrossed in his notes when he faintly heard the door at the back of the hall open and swing close. He did not pause in his note taking when several dozen people turned to look at who had arrived, that usually happened when a latecomer came in. A few moments later, he was tapped on the shoulder, hard. He looked up in irritation.

It wasn't a late student, it was _Kiba_. Wearing a black and neon yellow checked shirt with red jeans, looking like some kind of escaped psychiatric patient.

"Move up, I need to sit" He said in a normal speaking tone, which in a lecture hall was as good as using a speakerphone. The Professor was still talking, but Shino saw every student in the hall was now looking at them, very interested. It was a big class, and this was a big university, but it felt like there was a unanimous, silent agreement in this room that no one had seen this guy before on campus.

Feeling ever so slightly self conscious, he moved up one seat, and Kiba casually sat as if he belonged there, ignoring the stares from everyone.

He did not dare to turn to his friends to see their reactions. Shino wondered what the hell was going on, but Kiba only smirked and only folded his arms, apparently listening to the lecture. After a few minutes, it did not seem like he would cause any more trouble, so Shino returned to his notes.

However, ten minutes later, he saw Kiba raise his arm.

The Professor paused "Yes?"

"Teacher, may we take a break now?" Such a polite tone!

The elderly Professor looked at his watch "That's a good idea young man, we'll take a few minutes"

As the Professor began to shuffle towards the door, there was a burst of activity as nearly everyone got up to do various things.

Kiba grinned at Shino.

"What…_the hell_ are you doing here?"

"I was bored, so I decided to keep you company"

"But how did you know where I was?"

"Oh that was easy, we've a deep connection and shit like that. Plus you dropped this" Kiba pulled a piece of folded paper out of his shirt pocket "At my place"

Shino grabbed the paper and quickly unfolded it. His class schedule.

"But this was supposed to be tucked into my assignment book, in the attached wallet"

"Well it fell out or I took it out, or whatever, you can have it back now anyway cuz I memorised it"

"But why did you just walk in? You should have called"

"I wanted to see what these places looked like from the inside, but it's boring here so let's go"

"Go?"

"Yeah, go, as in out, this class is so big the old man won't notice you're gone"

Walk out of class? Unthinkable. "No."

Kiba gave an aggravated sigh "Why not?"

"Because I want to learn"

"Aw bullshit, like missing half a class will make you fail. C'mon…"

"No"

Kiba shortly left, muttering "Pussy" as he went. Really, who did he think he was, coming here and demanding that-

"Who was that?"

He turned, Naruto and the others were looking at him with varying degrees of curiosity, and even Shikamaru looked less apathetic than usual. Sasuke, by the look of frozen look of surprise, seemed to disapprove. Like him, he never liked being taken by surprise.

"Was that your boyfriend?" Naruto asked with a gleeful look.

"Well-"

The Professor walked in at that point and the room immediately quieted as other students rushed back to their seats. Once everyone was seated the Professor went to the podium where his notes lay. He shuffled through some papers, then called out: "Aburame Shino? Is he here today?"

Shino was so surprised by the unexpected call that he stood up so suddenly he knocked his notebook onto the poor student in the row in front of him.

"Yes Professor?"

"Your friend explained the situation to me, don't worry I'll mark you as present and a classmate can show you the rest of the notes, so you can go"

"Go?" What was he talking about?

"Yes, your friend is outside"

After a split second of indecision, Shino automatically and quickly packed up his things, not questioning his elder's decision and apologising quickly as the irritated girl in front of him handed back his notebook.

He was still wondering what the hell was going on as he left the hall and saw…who else, Kiba, who looked very pleased with himself.

"Ah, so it worked"

"You…what did you tell the Professor?"

"I just told him that I was dying from kidney failure and that you donated and saved my life, and I wanted to take you to dinner to say thanks"

"You told him…" Once this sank in, his head hurt slightly from the lack of common sense "…Its early afternoon, why did you say dinner?"

"I dunno, it just came out and anyway he believed me…now that I think about it, if he believes all that from someone like me, its time to get a new teacher"

With that, Kiba grabbed his arm and started to drag him towards the stairs

"Where are we going?"

"I dunno, I'm starving so we'll get something to eat"

Shino stopped, "If you didn't have anything that you needed me for, why did you take me out of class?"

"I told you, I'm bored! All my other friends are sleeping or at work, you're the only person I know that's free during the day"

"I'm not, I have class"

"True, but if you go back now your teacher will never trust you"

"…"

* * *

(1) 'Mizu shobai', "Water service" is the umbrella term for the sex trade business in Japan. In Japan, all sex work short of genital penetration is legal, so there are areas known for their bars, clubs, parlours and 'health clubs'. If full sex takes place there, its not suppose to be part of the 'service', but that's a big grey area. Because Kiba operates semi-privately and takes money for sex, he is breaking the law. But again there's a grey area, because he could just lie and say the actual sex part was for free.

(2) I know, it doesn't sound big, but keep in mind this is Japan. Most apaatos are one room with a tiny bathroom, a one bedroom place is very expensive.

(3) A Kotatsu is a heater built into a table frame, with a futon blanket and table top placed on top. A lot of Japanese homes don't have central heating, so this is common in a lot of homes. The person sits with their legs underneath the blanket, and apparently its lovely and toasty warm.

(4) Oden is a type of stew that is popular in the winter. It includes fish cakes, boiled eggs, daikon radish, yam cake, carrot, potatoes as well as other vegetables boiled in a type of kelp stock with water, a teaspoon of sugar, and soy sauce, then left to simmer for several hours, then served with hot mustard. I've read the recipes, and it sounds delicious, I hate soups and stews with meat in them, except for fishcakes, so this sounds like my kind of dish ^^.

* * *

REVIEW FEEDBACK!

random person – Thank you! I hope you enjoy the rest.

soda'slover – Rest assured, I am not going to abandon this story, it has consumed my life. Can I ask why you don't like Shino pairings?

Nox Wicked – You have paid me a great compliment, no one has ever told me that I rotted their mind with perverse thoughts! :D

I'm trying to keep each chapter between 4-5k words now, but it's a tad tricky because I've planned out each chapter with a certain amount of scenes, so if it seems shorter or longer than normal there is a reason why.

Demonlifehealer – I actually just made up that line "We're both unhappy" as I was typing up the chapter. But when I was reading back it just seemed to fit just right, although I'm still amazed that so many people like this line.

A_Gurl_Named_Mary – That's okay, I know the frustration of waiting for updates, and hopefully now my updates will be much more frequent. I hope this chapter answered your question!

Dirty-olde-TWAT – Yep, any more drunk scenes and I think he'll have a problem!

MizzAKA - …Well, he could offer his services, but I doubt Shino would take him up on that.

Redundant Goddess – Hehehe, if it wasn't for you and S.N I doubt that these chapters would turn out as well as they do *molests*

FrogGuts – Thanks! I hope you like this one as well :3

lo – Thank you! I keep on bitching about how hard it is to write Shino to my friends but in a way I can see it's really helping my writing skills. I also love researching for my stories and I must admit that I can't see why other people don't.

APurpleAvacado – It is very important to have a work/fanfic balance, I'll let you know how once I master it myself :p The tripping bit made me laugh, if it's possible to trip stoically than Shino would do that XD

Eternal-Hampsters-of-Doom – It is really, I go into Kiba's back story later on, and you see why he's ended up the way he is, so stay tuned!

Cuppycake geek – Thanks!

earthbender068 - :D Oh where to start… Well, one thing I want to achieve with this story is to have as close to a complete universe as possible. Meaning, all characters have their pasts and reasons for what they do, and their world is realistic, so the reader can wholly submerge themselves into the story. It's quite difficult to do though, because I'm not Japanese, nor have I ever been to Japan, but thanks to my Google-fu I learn things about the country, and through my friend, RG who works in Japan, I learn things about Japanese society and social interaction and attitudes, so I'm always bugging her for information, haha.

My other friend S.N helps by making sure everyone stays in character, despite the weird situations I put them in, and I'm extremely grateful. I don't see the point in taking away people's personality traits just to make it easier for myself, because I might as well stop calling it fanfic and just write a book!

Take Shino for example, part of the reason why I like him is that he's such a mystery, and while I bitch about how hard he is to write, I love exploring his character, finding out what makes him tick. Kiba is definitely much easier to write, but he's no Naruto mk.2. Even in canon he still has some mysterious qualities. You can tell I love a mystery. Even finding out their favourite foods excites me!

I almost feel like I should apologise for making Kiba a smoker, but when I imagined Tokyo!Kiba, there it was. This could partially be due to that I know smoking is very common in Japan, and that I'm an on/off smoker myself, so I know its addictiveness _.

BoyLoveCuteness – Will Shino fall for Kiba? Only time will tell, bwahahahaha!

* * *

Additional A/N: I love your reviews and feedback, every piece of constructive criticism helps me to become a better writer. If you think its good, needs some work, or so bad it needs the cleansing touch of fire, let me know!


	5. Aika, Elegy

Shameless

4. Aika, Elegy

Disclaimer: I know that these disclaimers give me as much legal protection as a wet piece of tissue paper, but years of writing fanfics have completely drilled disclaimers into me. This is also my first proper multi-chaptered fic, so I didn't know the net-etiquette (netiquette?) with this type of story. But now I know better, and so this will be my last disclaimer for the story. From here on, all chapters will be covered by the previous disclaimers, so enjoy!

Masashi Kishimoto owns 'Naruto', and 'My Sassy Girl' belongs to Ho-sik Kim (novel) and Jae-young Kwak (Screenplay and Director). I am but a lowly student with massive debt. If I owned 'Naruto' it would:

a) Be written in Japanese.

b) Not a fanfic, because the show would have gay couples along with straight ones, and there wouldn't be so many flashbacks, and they wouldn't drag chapters on and on and on and on, and Sasuke and Naruto would have a bittersweet reunion at the Valley of the End and have hardcore sex, and Shino and Tenten would have proper back stories, and Pein wouldn't have just given up in that weak ass way, oh and:

c)It would have finished by now.

So yeah ^^;;

Author Notes: What's this? An update less than two months after the last one? IMPOSSIBLE!*Stuff explodes in background*

Haha, I told you guys :3 I know this chapter is a lot shorter than the others, but there is a point! These scenes were meant for the end of chapter 3, but it just didn't seem to go, and there is a cliffhanger here, and something very important starts in the next chapter, so it was better that this stands alone as its own proud chapter ^^. All my important notes are at the end of the chapter.

Aika (English name Elegy) is by Ken Hirai. The song is awesome, and Ken is hot. Sizzling hot, seriously, watch the PV for Elegy *dribbles*.

Special thanks again go to my friends Redundant Goddess and shortyninja , for being awesome :D

* * *

Shino was still annoyed by the time they sat down in a café not too far from his faculty building, but of course he would not let his expression betray his emotions. Kiba was oblivious, burying his nose in the menu and muttering "Need food" Under his breath.

"Why did you bring me here?" He said suddenly, and Kiba looked up in surprise "Huh?"

Shino disliked repeating himself, but realised he needed to clarify himself to express how angry he was beginning to feel.

"I was in the middle of an important class, when you walked in, uninvited and obviously uninterested in the subject being taught, and lied to a respected academic so that I leave under a false pretence. Why did you do that?"

"Eh…" Kiba nonchalantly scratched the back of his neck "I didn't think you'd mind, school's so fucking boring"

"It's not" Shino had to resist the urge to grit his teeth "Just because you dislike something it doesn't mean that it's not worth the time"

"I know that dumbass" He put down the menu

"Then why did you just act the way you did now?"

"Cuz I knows where I ain't wanted. I had to sneak past security to get in and when I got in there I knew the other kids were lookin' at me, so I decided to just get you and get out of there"

"Don't just judge someone by your own standards"

"Whatever"

"No, don't assume that they are looking down on you when you yourself hold them in contempt"

"So what, I'm a hypocrite?"

Shino said nothing back, but this only seemed to piss Kiba off.

"Fuck you, why do you always go silent like that? Don't fucking judge me when you don't talk"

"I don't like speaking more than necessary"

"Why not?"

He opened his mouth to answer, but hesitated. How could he explain when it only made sense to himself and his family?

"I don't question why you are the way you are" He said at last

"I know I'm an asshole but at least I fucking explain myself, you'd you haveta be so aloof?"

"I have very few friends, because I've always been a solitary person"

"Why?"

"Because I don't like large crowds"

"Why?"

"Why should I explain myself?

"Why?"

"Will you just-"

"_Why?_"

He felt frustrated, something he was not used to. Usually people just left him alone, or did not enquire into his personality too deeply, he did not like his intrusion.

"Because I-"

He stared at his clenched hands on the tabletop, trying to get his words into order. Before he knew what he was doing, he saw his own hands unzipping his coat. As soon as his arms were free, he unbuttoned the shirt cuff on his left wrist and with slight difficulty, rolled up his sweater, shirt and undershirt to his elbow.

He expected the usual reaction from Kiba, the same reaction he had had from others, to shout or gape, avoid looking or to just leave. But he didn't, Kiba just looked at his arm, with its numerous ancient scars. Each mark was small but there were many covering his arm, starting from just below his elbow and continued upwards until his clothing concealed the rest.

Kiba's face was still flushed from his previous anger, but now his expression spoke of being speechless from shock. He opened his mouth, perhaps to make a tasteless joke, but instead he seemed to change his mind and was quiet.

"When?" He said at last.

Shino rolled down his sleeves and began to button the cuff "I was six, a car accident. A tree fell on the car and went through the window. My father was also badly wounded"

Kiba leaned back in his seat. He looked like he wanted a cigarette.

"Its not just on that arm?" He asked.

"Most of my body, except for my back, hands, feet and face. I also broke my arm and several ribs, but of course they healed years ago"

"What about that scar on your face?"

Shino blinked. He noticed that? It was tiny, the slightest nick on his left cheek. No one had commented on that before.

"The accident."

Silence fell. Kiba looked a little guilty as looked at his now covered arm, while Shino himself could not believe that he had shown something so personal about himself. He felt shaken.

After he collected his emotions enough to appear calm, he spoke again.

"Kiba…I was always a quiet child, I didn't have any friends before the accident, and afterwards a lot of my classmates avoided me because I was unsocial and covered in cuts and bandages. I am now this way because I cannot change my skin, and have never felt the need to change myself to please others"

Kiba still had a guilty expression, as if he had revealed something unexpected and was unsure how to fix it. He crossed his arms and looked away, Shino suddenly wondered why Kiba was not wearing a coat on this cold day.

"Sorry" He said at last "For taking you out of your class, and…you know"

Shino sighed.

"Apology accepted. Don't do it again"

The brunet finally looked back at him and gave that lopsided smile "I seem to apologise a lot with you, I can't let this get out or my reputation will be shot to shit"

"Your secret is safe with me" Shino picked up his bag and stood "Lets go"

"Huh?"

"This place is overpriced. I know a better café with cheaper food nearby. We'll eat there, then go to the museum nearby"

"Whaaaat?"

"You disrupted my education, so we'll go to a museum"

Kiba grudgingly got up and follwed him out on to the street "I guess no good deed goes unpunished" Shino gave him a look "I get it, I was a dick, but this is too harsh, looking at dusty old shit"

"Museums are a wonderful source of information and history"

"Whatever, I'm only gonna follow you cos your ass is hot"

"Don't be so crude"

.

Sunday mornings in the Aburame house followed a ceremonial pattern, as much as it could for a modern noble household of three. They ate at the low table in the room at the rear of the house with a window open slightly to let in the crisp air, with breakfast consisting of a traditional breakfast meal of steamed rice, miso soup, grilled fish and natto (1). There were also pickled vegetables, but Shino did not eat them.

He was engrossed in one of his library books, while his father read a nature journal, and his mother the Sunday newspaper. The only sounds in the room were the clack of chopsticks against the plates, spoons meeting the bowl, and pages turning.

This was the blissful routine of the Aburame Sunday.

In a few seconds later the routine would be broken, but Shino did not notice, so absorbed was he in his book. His mother looked up from her newspaper and caught her husband's eye, and tilted her head slightly towards their son. Shibi paused, putting down his spoon quietly and dabbing his mouth with a napkin before he spoke.

"Son, I received a letter from Hyuuga Hiashi yesterday"

A pause, the raised cup of green tea just before Shino's mouth "Oh, will the family be visiting soon?"

"Yes, during March"

"And its not just a visit this time" His mother chimed in with a smile, "We'll be starting the arrangements for the wedding!"

Shino quickly put down his cup "The wedding? I thought…I thought it would not be for another three years, after Hinata graduated from medical school and I had completed my master's degree (3)"

His parents exchanged looks "Well yes" She said "That was the plan, but Hinata has apparently decided to transfer and finish her studies in Tokyo"

"Then why must the marriage be brought forward?"

"Her father would not let her live alone or share an apartment, as for living with us, Hiashi-san felt that it would be a much more respectable arrangement if you were to be a married couple under the same roof, to remove immoral temptation" His father explained. "He has also offered to buy an apartment near your respective schools as a wedding gift"

"Isn't that generous? That's included with your dowry, you'll have even more money for your future!" His mother smiled brightly.

Shino was very glad that he was now holding his book on his lap below the table. That way his parents would not see his pale knuckles turning white from his grip

on the text, to prevent his hands from shaking.

"Are you not happy about this son? You seem pale"

"Of course I am father, I am just surprised…when will the wedding take place? You cannot possibly arrange a ceremony before the new school year"

"Of course it's too late to consider a proper wedding in time for April, although Hinata-chan apparently wants to transfer as soon as possible, we'll have to wait until next year, however" His mother continued "This holiday we can organise everything and sort out the payments for bookings, that way we can have a stress-free build up to the wedding!"

"But…the wedding has been brought forward by two years; I cannot understand why Hyuuga-san cannot wait"

"Remember this is Hinata-chan's decision, perhaps she feels that the schools here are better than those in Kyoto"

A pause, then "Does it specifically say that Hinata-chan wanted to transfer?"

"The letter was unambiguous about that"

"I see"

He soon excused from the table, saying he had work to do. He climbed the stairs, and paused as he passed a small hallway table near his door. The table had been there as long as he could remember, it was small and inoffensive, but the contents of the lone picture frame that stood on top of the table had caused him to mentally block it from his memory and sight, it would be invisible every time he passed it. But now, he looked at the picture. It was a different picture from the last one he had forced himself to notice, but always of the same girl, Hinata. There were so many pictures of her and her family around the house, from visits and joint holidays to the country; she always a place in his parents hearts as their future daughter-in-law. Quiet, kind, intelligent and beautiful, she was to be his perfect match.

His chest began to constrict, his breath quickened. His perfect match, for _next year_. He quickly went into his room and sat on the bed. He willed himself to be calm, to clear his mind, but all he could think of was that his _fiancée_ would be here in just over a month to make wedding plans, for _next year_.

_Next year._

_Next year._

He had to get out.

A few minutes later, he quietly shut the front door. He knew if his parents did not hear the click of the front door they would soon notice his absence anyway, but slamming the door would only cause them undue alarm.

Shino's heart was racing, his breath still quick, but wandering around aimlessly in the cold morning was still better than panicking in his room near the picture he always ignored.

He thought he had more time.

The engagement was not legally binding, but more to carry on a tradition. Their families were both from the old Samurai clans (2), and their fathers had been close friends during their University years. In the interest of preserving their respective lines it seemed prudent to make a match between their (as of yet unborn) children.

For as long as he could remember, Hinata had been his fiancée. The pale and pretty but painfully shy girl he played with from a young age, who did not seem anymore remarkable than her solemn older cousin Neji, or later, her over eager little sister Hanabi, had been marked out by his parents as special. But he looked at his parents subtle loving looks and touches, and decided the loving feelings he was supposed to have would come as he grew up.

On Shino's seventh birthday, the first after his accident, the Hyuugas' visited, he remembered so well because of what happened in his bedroom that day. He was dressed in his best clothes, and the families were also preparing to go out for his special birthday dinner. He did not need a lot of bandages anymore, but the newly healed skin still itched, and he was trying not to scratch his chest and reopen the wounds.

Someone knocked on the door, and Hinata entered. She was wearing a pretty dress and had a bow in her hair, holding a card in her hands and blushing.

He had asked her if she wanted anything, she hesitated for a few moments before walking closer and handing him the card. It was handmade and had a glittery blue and white blob on the cover.

"What is it?" He asked

"Its Doraemon, I know father sent a card from all of us after the accident, but I made this one just for you"

He smiled, his first in a long time, and thanked her. She smiled back before looking at the floor, he could see her blush darkening "I…I wanted to say, to say, um, I'm glad you weren't really badly hurt in the accident, and I know you'll be all better soon…husband" and she ran out, apparently embarrassed to call him that. The lasting impression that stayed with him afterward was that she was so cute, why didn't he feel or act the way other boys acted with girls they thought were cute?

As he grew older it began to bother him, that there were pretty girls in his school but they could never hold his interest nearly as long as boys could. In his middle school his seat was always next to the window, on the side of the school that faced the sports field, and he always caught himself looking a little too long at the older boys in their P.E clothes.

By the time he made friends with Shikamaru and Chouji he was fairly certain he was gay. At sixteen on a visit to Kyoto, he and Hinata briefly kissed in private, she looked as embarrassed as he felt and neither seemed particularly comfortable. A few months later at seventeen, when he briefly became involved with upperclassman Takeru, his last and only romantic relationship, those kisses and touches pushed away the last lingering doubts in his mind. If he married Hinata, they would both suffer.

Shortly before he was due to graduate from high school, his father insinuated that he was free to 'enjoy himself' until he completed his master's degree, but he was ultimately to marry Hinata.

He had opened his mouth to tell him he was gay, but the words died on his tongue when he realised how much unhappiness it would bring his family, it could even break his father's strong friendship with Hyuuga-san. It would not do to just blurt it out, he would think about it and tell them later.

He kept delaying, and eventually blocked it from his mind, reasoning that he had time.

But now he was to be married in a year.

_Oh God._

_

* * *

_

Natto is fermented soybeans, and looks like …well, beans mixed with slime. It's a traditional dish and apparently very healthy, but I don't think I'll try it .

I changed the family from ninja to Samurai for a good reason. Ninja families are incredibly secretive and even today there are very few that will break the code of silence. Also remember that Shino is writing this story online, so he's changed it to maintain the secrecy. Samurai seems to be a good substitute, because a lot of the descendants of Samurai became academics and journalists and other brainy artistic jobs.

A bachelor degree in Japan takes four years, and a masters is between one and six years depending on the subject. I couldn't find a single thing about how long a Entomological degree in Japan is, so I'm going with what I've found about the US and UK Entomology masters, which is one to two years. Medical Scool in Japan is six years. Shino is coming to the end of his third year and is 21, so the plan was that at 23 he would graduate, marry Hinata, move out, get a job and start his PhD. Hinata by that time should have been a qualified doctor for a year.

Additionally: I haven't just thrown in Shino's scars for pointless angst, I hate angst and they have a point. Shino and his bugs make one awesome package in _Naruto_, it completely explain why he is the way he is, how he dresses and acts etc. The scars are there in this story to explain why he always wears so much clothing, and is not too fond of contact with other people, because he's been a lot of pain in the past and he subconsciously remembers that. He was quiet and antisocial before the accident, but he doesn't realise yet the full extent of the emotional damage its done to him.

* * *

REVIEW RESPONSE!

bored spitless – Thanks! My aim is to update every two months.

Onewhowatches – Hahaha, I'm a girl, so I guess you're a little gay now :3 I also see you're a fan of Discworld, which is AWESOME! One part of my dissertation that I keep bleating about is on Discworld, I love this series that much *hugs books*

LFA – My betas make sure everything is In Character, they deserve medals for putting up with me constantly worrying over canon vs this fic's universe. I hope you got better quickly, and I hope you didn't laugh too much :x (Tho I'm still kinda surprised when people say this story is funny. I don't try to be funny… actually I suppose write things that make me laugh, but I thought that no one find get my British/obscure/bitchy sense of humour funny, guess I was wrong!)

dark-kitten13 – I'm really glad you like the story so far, but I gotta ask what made you look at this story if you didn't like the pairing? I'm just quite curious, if I don't like a pairing no summary on earth will make me read it. But like I said before, I'm glad you like it and the characters, Kiba is a rude bastard but everyone loves him.

earthbender068 – Don't chain me to my computer! I already spend too much time here! !

I could totally see Sasuke trapped on the phone with Naruto too, but I could see the convo either ending with swearing or phone sex, bless 'em.

Hehe, I've never actually read a Kiba/Naruto fic before, I'm not 'anti' but I just never really had the couple in my mind, I always imagined them with other people. I like your description there about Naruto, that's kind of how I imagined it, before he'd try to distract you by stealing your food, the little git .

I think Shino in any universe would be quite mature and observant. He's always been a natural loner and, speaking as a semi-loner myself, you do tend to be good at observing other people while remaining somewhat immature in social and emotional experience. Except that unlike most people, Shino is not going to grow out of it, he may have friends but he still prefers to be by himself a lot of the time… I dunno if that comes through so well in this story, because it's about Shino coming out of his box, but yeah.

One thing I can't stand in a lot of yaoi fics is that girls usually become bitches for no real reason, I love Sakura, but even if I didn't like her I still wouldn't change her into a monster.

The classroom scene happened in the movie, and I could have made it worse because in the film The Girl tells the professor she was getting an abortion and Gyeon-woo was the father! It ends differently of course, cos Gyeon-woo and The Girl go to amusement park. I was tempted, so so tempted to put the 'pregnancy' there, it'd be interesting how Kiba would spin that…

Seirai-chan – I'm not sure why, but even the brainiest teachers at my university can be scatterbrained and more than a little gullible, I guess their brains are completely taken over by book stuff. I would ask one of my teachers why but they might get suspicious of me But yeah, everyone was surprisingly easy to put into a modern story, certain things just needed to be moved around a bit or updated, but I think its going well so far.

FrogGuts – Thanks ^^ I hope you like the closer updates.

MizzAKA – Haha, I'm hoping to have the other guys meet Kiba in the next chapter, it'd be interesting to see how that goes.

hootpoop12 – Thanks!

Demonlifehealer – One thing I like about Kiba is that he can be so straightforward about a lot of things, but even watching the show I got the feeling that he could be kinda secretive about his feelings, and not just lay them out like Naruto, I can see him trying to cover up how he really feels. I also agree with you, I think Shino likes the attention, but only from Kiba, and I don't think he realises it yet

soda'slover – See with me it's the quiet and secretive characters that are really interesting, and I'm usually more interested in minor characters than the leads, so I was instantly hooked (I guess I can make an exception with _Naruto_ because I love Naruto and Sasuke, and I'm still holding out for a yaoi filled reunion 3)

I agree about the bugs thing too I'm not wild on insects. In England in late August/September we have a problem with these insects named 'Daddy Long Legs', they manage to fly into your house and IN YOUR FACE AND GAH I HATE THEM! I also have arachnophobia so I freak out whenever I see one, if I see a bit one I run out the room screaming, so if Shino's bugs were spiders, I probably wouldn't be writing this story *shudders* But I'm glad you are warming to him, he's so interesting to write. I agree about Kiba, one thing I like about this pairing is that they would be so good for each other ^^

* * *

Additional A/N: …Right, okay, I'm no mind reader but I'd imagine you'd be surprised at the stuff that's turned up in this chapter, as in "WTF DID U JUST PULL THAT FROM UR ASS HOR". The answer is no, I've pulled nothing from my ass, I wrote the plan for this back in 2006/7, and everything will come together in the end, I only ask you to be patient :3

I have a question for you fair readers: do you like how I've written Shino? The reviews I get are mostly complimenting how I write Kiba, that's flipping awesome but I'm still wondering if I'm doing okay with Shino. I know that he's a mystery to all of us, but I'm still not sure about how I'm doing keeping him in character, and considering I'm about to start the fifth chapter, that ain't good :s

I love your reviews and feedback, every piece of constructive criticism helps me to become a better writer. If you think its good, needs some work, or so bad it needs the cleansing touch of fire, let me know!


	6. Omen

Shameless

5. Omen

Author Notes: As always, special thanks again go to my friends Redundant Goddess and shortyninja, for being awesome :D. They are great betas and amazing friends and I want to hug them forever. However, this chapter is dedicated to my all gorgeous fans and reviewers as my Christmas present to you all.

I see from my stats page I'm on the favourite author list of fourteen people, that's hot :3.

Omen is by The Prodigy.

Note: This chapter takes place over a month after chapter four.

* * *

"So what's tastier, chocolate, banana, strawberry, mint or cherry? C'mon Shino, you're the one that called and said you wanted to spend time with me so ya have to join in!"

He sighed, then, "Wouldn't the mint gel become uncomfortable?"

"Yeah if it was just left there, but this-"

Kiba glanced at the label "'Intimate Cute Body Gel' stuff is bedroom only, you get it? It only stays on for a minute before it's licked off."

"Ah."

They tried the testers, squeezing the contents of the tubes onto the supplied sample strips before tasting.

"Very minty." Shino said.

Kiba nodded "That's good, the chocolate tastes like crap, but the others are good." He picked up several bottles and dropped them into the shop basket he carried. Kiba moved around the shop so easily, buying more of his favourites, looking through various items and comparing prices that you would think that they were in a supermarket and not a sex shop. The shop itself was not small, grimy or anything like what he had seen in film or television, it was large, brightly decorated, cheerful music piping through the subtly placed speakers, with warm lighting and simple furnishings, making the explicit merchandise displayed seem quite ordinary.

"I'm forgetting something…" The brunet muttered as he swept several condom packets into the basket "Oh yeah, we need to go downstairs to the dungeon."

"Why?" The _Dungeon_? Dear God.

"The handle on my old whip's totally unravelled, and that idiot Kankuro borrowed my paddle the other day and broke it, at least the asshole gave me money to replace it."

"…I see."

"Don't be scared, it's only called the dungeon cos the hardcore stuff is downstairs."

"That's not helping me, and I didn't say I was scared."

"Sure." Kiba winked and took his hand, leading him downstairs. Surprisingly, for a section named 'The Dungeon', the décor was exactly the same as upstairs, only the items for sale were more… more. Shino could not even begin to name most of the things on display here, and he was not sure if this was not a good or bad thing in this place.

"So, you gonna have a heart attack?"

"No."

"Uh-huh." Kiba gave him a look "What's up with you, I like spending time with your handsome self but this obviously ain't your kind of place, and for like a month or something you've even been acting weirder than usual, if that's possible."

"Very funny…I'm here because I have a question I need to ask."

"Ah?"

"How did you family react when you came out?"

Kiba blinks "That all?"

"It's fairly important, none of my friends have…spoken to their parents, so I do not know any personal experiences from anyone I know."

"Ah, well Hana doesn't care, just told me to not to do anything too brain-dead, the cheeky bitch."

"Hana?"

"My sister. 'Kaasan died when I was a kid, and dad ran off so long before that I can't even remember what he looks like, we don't know any other cousins or whatever so its just me, Nee-san and her family."

"I'm sorry to hear about that."

"S'ok, what about you? Got a big brother?"

"No I'm an only child, my parents are still together, somehow."

"Eh?"

"They make a very odd couple."

"Not like us then."

"We are not a-"

"ANYWAY-" Kiba said loudly, causing a few patrons to look over in interest, apparently being in a dungeon in a sex shop was still not as interesting as eavesdropping. "-So you want to tell your parents that, how shall we say..." Kiba grinned, cocked an eyebrow and rubbed his chin in a parody of stroking a beard, before saying in near perfect English, _"You prefer the company of other gentlemen?"_

Shino blinked, that was unexpected. "You speak English?"

"Sports and English baby, the only things I was any good at in school. I was also a master of ditching school, but they don't grade that."

"I have a feeling you would have been expelled from my school."

"Well, I also have a feeling you went to a fancy expensive academy, and I bet you every single penny I have that they wouldn't care if you didn't turn up at all, as long as the parents pay the fees on time."

"Judai was not like that (1)."

"Judai? In Chiyoda?"

"Indeed.'"

"Shit, I went to Tomonaga a few streets over! (2), but anyway stop changing the subject bug boy, you brought up telling the parents and you can't back out, why do you suddenly want to know now?"

Indeed, he could not back away now, in fact he was running out of time. Adjusting his glasses, he spoke quietly;

"My fiancée and her family are visiting next month."

The smile immediately dropped from Kiba's face. "What?"

"My fiancée, I have to marry her next year."

"_What?_ You're engaged? To a girl!"

"…Yes."

"But you're gay!"

"I know that, but I don't have a choice in the matter."

"That's bullshit-"

"It was arranged when we were infants, it's for my family."

"Your…" He was starting to turn red, "That's total bullshit, why won't you just be honest and tell-"

Suddenly he stopped, apparently spotting something just over Shino's shoulder. He turned to see, of all people, Naruto and Sasuke coming down the stairs.

"Fuck."

Turning back, Kiba still looked angry, but now also uncertain. "Fuck this."

"What?"

"I ain't taking this right now, see you later." He stormed off, nearly knocking over Sasuke on his way to the stairs, and he saw Sasuke mutter something, and Kiba promptly yelled at him to fuck off, not even breaking his stride.

"Kiba?" What the hell had just happened?

Naruto looked at him, looking confused, "And what the hell was that about?"

.

"I get why he's pissed," Naruto muttered as they sat in the quiet ramen shop later, looking at the bottom of his empty bowl as if it had insulted him, "But why were you talking about it in a sex shop?"

"Idiot, you were talking about what we were doing last night in the supermarket an hour ago."

"But I just dunno how that came up in the S&M section."

"We were just talking and the conversation went in that direction-"

"Now that I think about it, what were _you_ doing in a _sex shop_!"

"What do you think they were doing, browsing for tea cups?"

"Shut up!"

"It's none of our business! What if he asks what _we_ were doing there?"

Shino really did hate being talked over as if he was not there, he may be quiet but he was not invisible. However he saw at this point there was no stopping them.

Eventually Naruto left to use the toilet, Sasuke watched him go until he was out of sight, then turned to Shino with a serious look.

"I just want to let you know," He said quietly, "I've met Kiba before, and I don't think he's your type."

"Why?"

"I'm not sure, but I think he's done, or doing, something illegal."

"You cannot just say that without saying why."

Sasuke checked to see if Naruto had come back, then: "It was a few years ago at this party for one of my cousins."

"What did he do?"

"He didn't stay very long, he turned up really late in the night and disappeared with a few of my cousins for a while, and he left."

"Is that all?"

"When he was going, I saw one of the guys give him money."

"Oh. I already know about that."

"You do?"

"He told me a few weeks ago."

"What does he do?"

"Adult entertainment."

"And you don't have a problem with him doing that!"

"It's his job, he's explained everything and we have an understanding."

"You don't consider it cheating?"

"We're hardly together, and even if we were, it's just his job, and there's a line between personal and professional."

Sasuke didn't look convinced, "It would bother me."

"It would bother a lot of people… I would be lying if I said I was completely unfazed by it, but as I said, he keeps it separate."

Sasuke looks unconvinced, but just shook his head and said "Just don't tell Naruto, he'd just overreact and be jealous."

"That's why you looked so horrified when Kiba turned up in class."

"Yes, and it's worse now because Kiba obviously remembers me."

Shino sighed, "I won't say anything, but don't you think you're underestimating him?"

"You don't know Naruto like I do, when he's jealous he causes too much trouble and won't listen to anybody."

"I see."

A moment later, something occurred to him, "I thought you hated parties."

"Okaasan made me go. She thinks I should be more social."

Naruto returned and sat down at his former place next to his boyfriend, "So," He said, "Any ideas on what do with this fiancée thing?"

.

The next day Shino called Kiba and asked him if he would like to come round to his house so they could talk, and he accepted.

"What _the fuck_ is that!" Was the first thing Kiba said when he walked into his room, pointing over dramatically at a poster on his wall.

"That is a botfly larvae." Shino said as he came in behind him and shut the door. His parents were out but he preferred to have the door closed anyway, "They are mostly found in South America."

"Then what the fuck is it doing in your bedroom? Not exactly romantic is it?"

"It's only a picture."

"It's…oh God, there's more posters of fucking bugs. Don't you get itchy in here?"

"No, why should I?"

"Never mind, I don't want to get into it cos I might feel sick. Why so many bug pictures?"

"Surely you know I'm a Natural History student."

"Yeah but, why bugs?" Kiba threw himself on the formerly neat bed and made himself very comfortable. Shino sighed inwardly and sat at his computer chair.

"Lifelong interest, I like how ordered they are, and their place in shaping the earth."

"Oh."

"Do you really care?"

"Yeah, of course."

Neither seemed to be able to think of anything to say after that, and there was a lull as Kiba suddenly seemed very interested in staring at his bookcase, while Shino decided the wall above Kiba was worth study. As the silence deepened, he could hear the ticking of the nearby clock. So this was an awkward silence.

Finally, the brunet looked back at him, unsmiling "So, did you knock her up?"

"_What?_"

"Only reason I can get why you'd get married cos your parents say."

"No, I've never…with...no, she's not pregnant. It's as I said before, it was arranged when we were very young."

"Have you met her?"

"Yes of course I've met her, I have not seen her for about two years because our studies but before that our families would visit each other at least once a year."

"That's nice but why are you doing it?"

"Our fathers are friends, and it would be good for my family's reputation."

"'Reputation'? This isn't the fucking eighteenth century! Why haven't you said no?"

"I think I've been putting it off for so long I forced myself to forget it."

"Really? You gonna talk to them?"

"I don't know yet."

"Well don't you think you should? I don't want you to be shackled to some chick when you should be with me!"

"Kiba-"

"-And even if you don't wanna be with me for some crazy reason you still shouldn't, if you married her you'd end up just like those miserable middle-aged fuckers that call me up."

Ouch. That was a scarily specific insult. He opened his mouth to deny it, but somehow the words would not come. Kiba moved further up the bed, putting his hands on Shino's knees and smiling slightly. "I don't want that for you." He said, and Shino found himself nodding slightly, "Neither do I."

For a little while they sat, gazing at each other before Shino looked away, feeling strange and a little embarrassed. He could still feel Kiba looking at him.

"Entomologists also work in Veterinarian Science." He felt himself say.

"What?" He could imagine the look on the brunet's face.

"For treatment of infected bites, animals are just as vulnerable to insect bites, if not more so than humans, so studies in insect/animal vulnerabilities are relevant to you as a dog owner."

"So…" Kiba still sounded confused, and Shino risked looking back at him, "So…you wanna be a vet or something?"

"No, I want to be a researcher and archivist, but I have considered telling you before that reading papers can help Akamaru's health, after a Entomology research paper is published, Veterinarians usually use the findings for new health and dietary research for wild and domestic animals."

"Oh, that's cool I guess." Confusion was starting to turn into disappointment, and Shino busied himself by getting the latest issue of the Zoology magazine he subscribed to, before giving it to Kiba.

"Thanks." Kiba flicked through it, "It's in English?"

"I can read English but very slowly, I thought you would understand it faster than I."

"Awww, that was a compliment!"

"Merely a fact."

Kiba brightened into that infuriating grin, then leaned over and _licked his cheek_, "Thanks." He whispered in his ear.

He…

"Y'welcome." He found himself muttering back.

.

_Golden Firefly_ Restaurant, Ginza.

Despite the common assumption that those born into higher society always fit in better with their own settings and peers, Shino despised gourmet restaurants and other glittering occasions that circled them. Of course he disliked any sort of public setting or occasions to be social, but with interaction with 'his' people, the wealthy and privileged, there came an air of expected conformity, which was even more suffocating than everyday life. Of course, as a family of academics, descended from a Samurai clan who made the actual money and status for their family, families such as the Aburames' made a curious niche in high social circles, neither famous, influential or even worthy of note in mainstream society, but their name and wealth kept them within their unofficial class, wanted or no. Shino's parents rarely interacted with other families that were not academics or other mostly un-noted families: with the exception of the Hyuuga family.

As the class of Samurai became obsolete, families splintered away into many different careers; many became writers, academics, journalists etc., while others went into business and industry. Shino knew that some families just went into what was convenient, such as the Naras', their land was mostly virgin woodland, and so earned millions from logging and renting out land for farming (though a decade ago Shikamaru's father had decided to turn a sizeable amount of his land into a wildlife park).

The Hyuuga family did not seem to believe in such fate or sentimentality.

One international bank and several intimidating collections of priceless art and antiques left the Hyuugas' one of the richest families in Asia, and currently, he was sat at the same table as the patriarch of the clan, in one of the private dining rooms of the best restaurants in Tokyo.

The table party consisted of himself, his parents, Hyuuga-san, Neji-kun, Hanabi-chan, and Hinata-chan, and the atmosphere was odd, to be perfectly honest.

His parents and Hyuuga-san were chatting amiably, their discussion current events mixed with catching up on old times, while he and the young Hyuugas' had barely exchanged a word. Hinata occasionally glanced up from her meal to smile at him briefly, Hanabi looked bored and Neji seemed peevish, although Shino was unsure if it was being forced to come along to Tokyo (as Hinata's second closest male relative and therefore a type of secondary chaperone) or simply because he and Shino was in the same room together that annoyed him. They had never been close, merely mutual indifference that had turned into a mild dislike on Neji's part for some reason.

Although never truly vocalised, he knew that Hinata was as reluctant as he was about the marriage, but equally was willing to do it to maintain tradition, if anything she had more to lose. Maybe Neji's dislike of the arrangement had transformed into blaming Shino for it, he was not sure.

He was sat nearly across from Hyuuga-san, perhaps for propriety, but perhaps also for slight intimidation. That was not difficult, Shino had known him all his life but in this situation he was incredibly nervous.

He had never been intimated by his wealth of general air of old-fashioned formality, but what Hyuuga-san was on a personal level scared the life out of him. He was his father's best friend of over twenty-five years, and he was also the father of his fiancée, Hinata, the woman sat directly opposite him.

She had matured since he had last seen her, a crippling lack of self confidence and a stern upbringing had left her painfully shy and barely able to speak without stuttering. But now, although she still frequently blushed and was obviously a shy woman, something about her had changed. The defensive habit she used to have of hunching her shoulders and looking down as she spoke was gone, her tone was quiet but confident, and she no longer seemed afraid to express an opinion, although she always seemed to pick her words carefully. Medical School, it seems, had done wonders for her confidence, and she was beautiful. She had always been beautiful.

Sometimes self-awareness could be a terrible thing. Hinata's shy smile could make any man's heart ache, but all Shino could really think of now was the look on Kiba's face when he told him he had a fiancée.

When Kiba had visited him, they agreed that to not talk about it for a while, whilst Shino dealt with the situation. Although Shino wondered if Kiba would actually stick to the agreement, because he knew Kiba never really tried to conceal how he felt.

Obviously he knew what his problem was: Firstly, he was gay and it would not be fair to Hinata or himself to marry. Secondly, it would not be fair to Kiba.

When Kiba had announced a little over a month ago that they were 'boyfriends', it seemed too ridiculous to be involved with such a person, and brushed it aside like so many of Kiba's crude jokes. But the looks and touches Kiba sometimes gave him were… well, thanks to Kiba and his friends he knew the difference between 'lacking the concept of personal space' and 'light groping'.

He also now knew that Kiba was blunt to the point of rudeness, but never insincere, he always spoke about what was on his mind.

Shino had lately found himself liking the brunet's butchered ways of attempting subtle courtship, the time they spent together was like spending time with his friends, but unlike social times with his friends he was no longer the near silent spectator, his reserved nature did not disappear but with Kiba he was…different. Kiba certainly seemed to like his inexpert type of informality, and when Kiba wasn't being abrasive he liked his company, and often found himself thinking of him when they were apart. Therefore, he had to conclude that Kiba genuinely liked him and wanted to pursue a relationship, and he was of a similar feeling.

"Shino-kun?"

He felt himself start slightly before looking up, Hinata seemed concerned. "Are you okay? You've hardly eaten all night."

"I appear to not have much of an appetite, I'm sorry."

"Its fine," Pale eyes glanced to their fathers talking, probably to see if he was listening before she continued in a lower voice; "I couldn't eat a single thing all day, I had to make sure I would finish my meal tonight."

"Ah."

Another glance to their fathers, then her lips moved, but no sound came.

"Excuse me?"  
Yet another glance, then her lips moved again:

_-dinner._

She was mouthing something to him, this time he understood and inclined his head slightly to repeat herself again.

_Ask me to walk with you after dinner._

Oh.

Not quite understanding why, he did as she said.

"Excuse me, Hyuuga-san, but after dinner may I take Hinata for a walk?"

.

"Would you like to get some cinnamon rolls?"

"I would, thank you. Is my favourite cafe still open?"

"I believe it is."

Her father had agreed readily to the unsupervised walk, provided he brought her back at a respectable hour. Shino was still quite unsure about why Hinata wanted to walk with him, it was very likely because she wanted to talk to him privately about the engagement, but why such urgency? Why now?

The 'Little Star' bakery shop and café was not too far from the restaurant and hotel the family was staying in, it was popular enough that even in the late evening they had a fair amount of customers. When they arrived she ordered the fresh pastries and a cup of tea. He ordered a green tea and insisted on paying for her.

They sat in a quiet corner, and there was a semi-companionable silence as she picked at her food and he sipped his tea. He only came to this café when Hinata visited, the food was too sweet here and although he had a feeling that although Kiba would like anything boiled overnight in sugar, he would find this place too clean and wholesome, and would probably describe it as a "Pastel-shit nightmare."

She spoke suddenly, "Shino-kun," Her head was still bowed, staring at her tea as if it giving her courage.

"I-" She seemed to nearly lose her nerve, then spoke;

"I…I'm sorry to be so direct, but I have to ask you an important question, and we needed to be alone so I could ask."

"Of course, you know you can ask me anything."

"Do you love me?"

Ah. He did not expect her to be so blunt about it! He was so thrown by this that he could not speak for a few moments.

"Shino?" She repeated softly, "Do you love me?"

"No."

"Do you want to marry me?" He opened his mouth, but she interrupted, "And I do mean if you would be happy in a platonic marriage, or if you are only doing this to make your parents happy."

"…No."

Her expression lightened, still slightly sad but like that of someone tentatively finding a possible lifeline. "I don't love you either, not in that way."

Strangely this did not make him feel much better. He had never been the most proficient at gauging emotions, but Hinata's open expression meant that every emotion was on display, and he had suspected for a long time that she felt the same way for him as he did her; a sibling. But intimate love was not necessary for an arranged marriage.

"I'm in love with someone else, but even if I wasn't I still wouldn't want to marry you, I can't have a marriage of convenience."

"I agree."

"It was the kiss we shared so long ago that made me realise." Hinata's blush deepened, "I-I don't, I don't mean to say that the kiss itself was bad, but it was so indifferent, from both of us… I know that you would not be unkind, but to be married…" Here her courage seemed to fail her, and she went back to staring at her untouched tea.

"He works closely for my father and I've known him for years, he's kind, patient, and he's helped me realise the good things about myself that no one else has managed to do. We've had difficult times, but I know I want to spend the rest of my life with him."

"Hinata… I don't-"

"Please break the engagement."

She said it so quietly he almost didn't hear her speak again.

The pressure on his shoulders increased as he replied "I can't."

She looked up, surprised at his immediate reply.

"I really can't," He continued "It would disappoint my family, and as the heir I need to marry well."

"Even if we're both miserable?"

"…Why don't you dissolve it, if the man you love works for your father then he should be good enough. If I do it, people will ask my family too many questions."

"My father and he do not like each other, it would take years to convince him, and surely not being in love with me is good enough to break it off."

"Don't be naïve."

"Well" she paused, "What about a mutual dissolution?"

"That would cause embarrassment at this stage, as adults we're supposed to know our minds on the subject."

"I would rather have that than have a loveless marriage. What about you? Don't you have someone you care about, or want to find that true love?"

Hinata was now on the verge of tears; he could not face her any longer and turned to the window. There was a group of young men in suits talking across the road.

"There is someone." He said at last.

"So are we to carry on and have the people we love feeling like they aren't good enough?"

Fighting the urge to put his head in his hands, Shino realised she was right, it would not be fair to anyone.

"You're right; we'll have to think of something to break the engagement."

He glanced back, and Hinata was beginning to smile tearfully, "Something that won't hurt our families." She said.

"Yes."

"Do you have any ideas?"

"No."

"Neither do I," Her smile was brighter, "But I'm sure we can think of something during our visit."

They left the café shortly after, and he walked her to the hotel suite where her family was staying. Saying good night to each other, they were both a little surprised when Neji suddenly opened the door.

"I heard voices, and I thought it must be you." He said, "Did you have a nice walk?"

"Yes, it was lovely to talk again."

"Very well," The older man turned to Shino, "Well then, good night and I expect we'll see each other soon."

"Yes, I expect so," Something was a little off from their body language, but he decided to think about it later, "Good night."

He turned to go, but not before he heard Neji speak softly,

"Thank you for speaking to Hinata."

Turning back, he caught a glimpse of Neji and Hinata smiling at each other before the door closed.

_Oh._

.

_Phone email from Inuzuka. K to Aburame. S. _

Wake up

_Phone email from Inuzuka. K to Aburame. S. _

Wake up

_Phone email from Inuzuka. K to Aburame. S. _

Wake up cutie 3

_Phone email from Inuzuka. K to Aburame. S. _

Wake up now OR I WILL FIND OUT WHERE YOU LIVE

_Phone email from Aburame. S to Inuzuka. K._

What do you want?

_Phone email from Inuzuka. K to Aburame. S. _

Good morning 3 Meet me at Eitaibashi Bridge in 1hr!

_Phone email from Aburame. S to Inuzuka. K. _

Why? It's only five in the morning. I was asleep.

_Phone email from Inuzuka. K to Aburame. S. _

Lucky you, some of us have to work all night! Seriously, get dressed and meet me at the bridge in 1hr max, or I'll kill you!

_Phone email from Aburame. S to Inuzuka. K. _

I'm too tired to play along, I'm going back to sleep.

_Phone email from Inuzuka. K to Aburame. S. _

THAT'S IT I'M GONNA KILL YA!

_Phone email from Inuzuka. K to Aburame. S. _

Joking!

_Phone email from Inuzuka. K to Aburame. S. _

Shino?

_Phone email from Inuzuka. K to Aburame. S. _

C'mon seriously, I'll be waiting

_Phone email from Inuzuka. K to Aburame. S. _

Shino?

_Phone email from Inuzuka. K to Aburame. S. _

Shino?

_Phone email from Inuzuka. K to Aburame. S. _

Shino…please. I'll be here, I've got a surprise for you.

.

There was more than a hint of frost in the pre-dawn air as Shino stepped out the taxi after paying his fare. He wondered why he was here as he walked up towards the pedestrian side of the bridge, if Kiba just wanted to waste his time he might just throw him into the river.

Further ahead by the foot of the bridge, he saw what looked like Kiba, though it was difficult to tell from the distance and dawning light. As Shino approached he saw it was indeed Kiba, albeit wearing a dark suit and sunglasses, which was an incredibly strange sight, and he seemed to have his hand to his mouth, playing with his tongue…which was almost as strange as the suit.

Kiba saw him and made some kind of noise of greeting, before taking his hand out of his mouth a few moments later, inspecting his hand as if to see if it was clean.

Was it not a little late for that?

"What are you doing?"

Kiba grinned "Tongue stud." He said, and held out his hand, where there was a small metal bar attached to a ball, with another one also resting in his palm. He took the ball and started to screw it on to the other end of the bar. "Forgot to take it out earlier."

"It's just for work, don't ask." He dropped it into his jacket pocket, and Shino supposed it was testament to how tired he was that he could not even bring himself to ask if Kiba would disinfect that thing before the next time he used it. Why…? Shino turned away for a moment, lifting his own sunglasses slightly to rub his tired eyes, and for a brief moment, his uncovered eyes saw the brilliant hues, red, pink, and pure sky blue, of the coming dawn streak across the sky.

"Did you have me come out here to see just that? I'm tired."

"Dude we're both tired, I haven't even been to bed yet," Kiba held up a large black gift bag that Shino had somehow missed "But I thought this would be the best time to say Happy Late Birthday!"

"…Kiba it's March, my birthday was six weeks ago."

"Yeah but because you didn't want to do anything for your big twenty-first, I missed it, so I wanted to make it special," He held out the bag for Shino to take; it was surprisingly heavy. "Right place, time and present, this place doesn't look like much during the day but it's got the best spot to watch the sun rise in the bay."

He could not help but smile slightly when he saw the contents of the bag: a bottle of champagne and two plastic cups.

"Alcohol."

"Hey it's allowed when you're toasting a special occasion. If you don't want it I'll have it."

"That's not necessary" He looked up at Kiba, who had removed his sunglasses and was now rubbing the back of his neck in what looked like a nervous gesture. "Would you like to have a drink with me?" He supposed it was what they were here for, but asking was always better than assumption.

"Sure."

They sat down on one of the nearby benches, and Shino took out the bottle and started to peel away the foil cover. The cork was half pulled out when he paused, "Did you shake the bottle?"

"Nope, I knew you'd probably kick my ass."

"You wouldn't be wrong."

The cork popped without that usual fanfare he saw on television, and he poured into the cups that Kiba had taken out and was now holding. He sipped his drink slowly, enjoying the sour, bubbly taste, while Kiba downed his in one and held out his cup for another. Shino gave him the bottle.

After a comfortable silence enjoying the sun slowly rise through the city smog, Kiba nudged his shoulder, "Open ya present."

Present? He looked into the bag, there was a folded paper envelope where the bottle had been, so of course he had not seen it. Inside of the envelope was a silver necklace, a long chain held together by a mechanical watch face. It ticked with the right time, and when he turned it over he saw the silver hallmark (3).

"If you say no to this one, I really will get pissed off this time."

He held it in his hands, not knowing what to say. No one had ever done anything like this for him before. He was not certain, but this seemed to be Kiba's way of a romantic gesture.

"Thank you." He put on the necklace, and before he knew what he was doing, he had leaned over and kissed Kiba briefly on the lips.

The brunet licked his lips, looking pleased, "Didn't know I just had to get ya drunk and buy jewellery to get ya to fall into my arms at last, thought that was a girl thing."

"Do you ever shut up?"

Kiba shrugged, "Only when my mouth is occupied."

Shino took the bottle from his hands and placed it on the floor, far away to not be knocked over, and from the corner of his eye he saw Kiba trying shuffle closer surreptitiously. Turning back, Kiba brought his hand to Shino's neck, rubbing slowly. His fingers were cold but the movement made him shiver slightly, as he edged closer to Kiba, closing the small gap. The metal of Kiba's lip ring was cold against his mouth, but he soon forgot that when he felt the slight swipe of Kiba's tongue against his lower lip, and he opened his mouth slightly. He tasted of champagne, bitter, and the cigarettes he had no doubt been smoking before he had arrived. But right now Shino could not think of anything that tasted better on earth.

There was a shiver of sound, and Shino pulled away to see Kiba's hands had wandered to his coat and was now unzipping it.

"What are you-"

"Just wanna touch you a bit."

Touch him? But why would… why him? Why not?

"Not my skin." He said at last.

"Alright."

This was not like him, such a blatant display of public affection, to be so unrestrained. But right now, with Kiba's kisses and wandering hands, and feeling his own creeping up to wrap around Kiba's neck, he couldn't care less.

* * *

(1) Judai is a very small reference to an older manga series I used to love. If you can guess what manga, you will get an internet cookie :3

(2) Tokyo is very, very, cramped. In cramped cities, you can have very grand buildings next to big stations and crack houses, and even the finest districts and boroughs have areas where the poor and working-class live. Having a rundown school for a problem kids less than five miles from an overpriced Academy? More common than you think.

(3) If you want to see a picture, I'll be posting a picture in my livejournal soon under the 'shameless' tag.

REVIEW RESPONSE!

Cuzosu – Enjoy!

Akira A. Miko – Thank you so much! I hope you loved this chapter too!

YaoiNaru - Ah, well as you can see neither are happy about it, so keep your fingers crossed that they'll find away to get out of it!

Demonlifehealer - Destroy the wedding eh? That's an intriguing idea right there, (Mwahahahaha!) considering Kiba now knows about it and is very pissed off. I personally think his jealousy is what leads to him stepping up his game, which is good :3.

UnlikeAnyOtherDay - My secrets? I have secrets? Um ._.

I really don't have any. I have a pretty good memory when it comes to characterisation, it must be a side effect of being an English undergrad, but when I watch the show I absorb most things about the characters, then when it comes to writing I read all their background material. From there, I take all I know about them and put myself in their place. For Shameless I still do that, but then there's the matter of trying to adapt them as realistic people in modern Japan while remaining in character. To be honest it would be easier to do if Shino wasn't such a stoic introvert, but I seem to be getting it right so I'm just gonna shut up and stop complaining.

Yeah I get what you mean about the grammar, all I will say is that the UK school system completely failed my generation in basic grammar. It's so bad that a lot of University Lecturers have written articles and papers about how they have to teach English students (undergrad/grad) in their early twenties basic grammar. I'm working hard on improving, but it's so tough to absorb ..

King of Ithiria - Yup, I suppose that could be considered the info dump chapter. Not that it's a bad thing, but I hope it covers much more than plot stuffs, but since you say it shows the characters flaws I've succeeded!

Oi mister! There's less than two months between updates this name, and I'm writing a dissertation and looking for a job, have some mercy ;_;.

earthbender068 - Ahhh, but is there a sinister reason?

In Japan, while it's backwards in feminism in some ways compared to the West, twenty year old girls do tend to live independently if they can afford it, Hiashi is just a strict conservative and poor Hinata is just used to not questioning her father's word. Damn that Hiashi, he may be hot but his parenting skills need work.

But yeah, I'm quite introverted but definitely not anti-social like Shino. Thing is that he's not shy in the typical way we get in books and television. He's a mystery, and I'm fascinated and infuriated by him, so I suppose in this story its breaking down and seeing what makes the character. It annoys me how Kishi seems to have forgotten Shino and TenTen, because he's left interesting characters incomplete and frankly that's just crappy writing. I'm not saying I'm up there in terms of professional quality writing, but its still bad practice.

Thanks to everyone's lovely feedback, I know I'm in the right direction. Another ShinoKiba author I've been talking to said than an artist stops being an artist when they are satisfied with their work, so I guess I'll always feel unsatisfied *shrugs*.

Why doesn't Naruto push Shino like Kiba? That question genuinely threw me, but I've never thought about it. Looking over previous chapters and my notes, I'd say it's because Naruto is completely wrapped up in Sasuke. People in 'kiss and slap' relationships tend to (speaking from friends relationships) be a bit obsessed with their partner, even if it's in a none too obvious way. I don't think I'm making Naruto OOC, because in _Naruto_ he's pretty much been obsessed with Sasuke since the start of the series.

Kiba can definitely push Shino's buttons because he's unlike anyone he's ever met and he's not sure how to deal with that, and I would say its probably the same way for Kiba…like a train collision or something XD.

Kiba is definitely helping (forcing?) Shino out of his shell, but Shino will help as well, in his own way. Like the previous chapter showed him that you can't just be a jackass and expect to get away with it every time, so we'll see more developments in the future.

As for Shino's 'fling', if you can call it that, I agree that he's reserved and sort of shy but I included it because it was his defining teenage experience, the thing that happens that makes you really realise your sexuality.

soda'slover - I…fuck. How the hell did I miss that! Hmmm. Well I'll try not to make that mistake again, and I'll correct the previous chapters when I do the rewrite, but thanks for pointing it out. I'm so glad you like Shino here, but do remember that our bug boy is still keen on insects, and he'll make a career out of it!

Little Fox Kit - Yeah, ever since the first time I saw natto, in a documentary where the journalist trying it described it as "beans covered in snot", I haven't been too keen to try it D:

Sesame covered dango eh? Next time I'm near a Japanese restaurant or supermarket I'll buy some :3.

Onewhowatches - (I'm also replying to the PM you sent me here, since it was the other part of this review :3)

Yes! Discworld! *Rolls on floor in pleasure* He's my inspiration, and I hope to meet him one day.

I'm glad I'm getting Shino right, I have a lot of fun writing him but when I get to tricky parts I start swearing and emo-ing about how much he sucks, even though I don't really mean it. He so needs a back story, though I doubt it'll happen now D:

And thanks for the offer, no one's ever proposed to me sober (I assume you were sober when you wrote that), but you may regret it because I might decide I wouldn't mind being a mistress and turn up on your doorstep without warning.

Seirai-chan - I'm glad I seem to be getting him right so far. I only hope you enjoy the Hyuuga storyline, plenty of twists and turns to come!

bored spitless - Yup, I totally get why you and everyone else is shocked about the marriage. I gave like, the vaguest hint in Chapter 2 so I'm not surprised that everyone is well…surprised.

The scars are my way of replacing the Kikai, sorta explaining why he covers up and is antisocial, I mean he was introverted before, but its just makes things worse.

* * *

Additional A/N: I love your reviews and feedback, every piece of constructive criticism helps me to become a better writer. If you think its good, needs some work, or so bad it needs the cleansing touch of fire, let me know!

Also I'd be interested to know if you prefer for me to respond to reviews at the end of the chapter, or if I should respond by PM. I personally don't like it, but if more people prefer it this way I'll keep it.

Happy Christmas everyone, and I'll see you fabulous people next year.


	7. Imaginary Folklore

AND LO, I HAVE RETURNED! I know you lovely people have been patient since Christmas, so I will STFU and leave my a/n until after the chapter.

But I will say here that this chapter is dedicated to the DJ and producer Nujabes, who sadly passed away February 26 2010, age 36. Why? Well most of you would probably be familiar with Samurai Champloo, he composed most of the soundtrack including a few of the closing themes. He also made a lot of amazing solo work that suit any mood, I listen to them every time I write fiction or an academic paper, so without his solo and SC albums, my work would probably be a lot difficult to complete without his musical inspiration. When I wrote this chapter I only listened to Nujabes's work, and this is my way of showing what a positive influence he has been to me.

6. Imaginary Folklore

Kisses were very strange, Shino decided. A meeting of two mouths, or mouth to skin, there was greater physical sensation due to nerves and sensitive skin in the lips. But what he really found strange were the emotions that these 'kisses' caused. Europeans kissed on the cheek to say hello, but the gesture conveyed familiarity and friendship, whereas in Japan kisses were reserved for close family or lovers. Apart from his mother showering kisses on him as a child, the kisses in his adult life amounted to a brief kiss with Hinata, the two from his sempai, a drunken slobbery kiss on the cheek Naruto once managed to plant on him before he managed to shove him away, and Kiba.

Kiba was the best kiss of his life, and while he might not have much to compare him to, he could be mostly certain that Kiba was a great kisser in general. After all he had a lot of practice.

Shino wondered briefly if Kiba's job bothered him now. Honestly, not at all right now, but would that change in the future? Did they have a future at all? Could he tell his parents that he was breaking up with his fiancé and was seeing a male smoker that loved punk music and had a big dog?

Did people that date always think about these things?

His thoughts were interrupted by the train stopping at his station, and with a sigh he left the train and walked towards the exit escalator. He had received a message from Chouji to meet him at a bookshop café for some social reason, although he suspected it was because they wanted to know about how the dinner had gone.

Sometimes being social was very tiring, was it normal to feel that way? He was comfortable that he mostly preferred his own company, but he sometimes wondered if even loud people found socialising tiring. He would have to ask Kiba some time.

When he walked into the large cafe he could see that Chouji was at the manga section with his nose buried in one of the latest tankoubans, and he glanced around to see where the others were as he approached.

"Just you here?" He asked, and his friend jumped in surprise.

"Oh Shino! I didn't see you there."

"That is not surprising, I approached you directly, but you were absorbed with your reading."

"You always walk so quietly I hardly ever hear you anyway," his friend said with his usual open smile, "I think you've missed your calling as a ninja!"

"I must endeavour to bear the loss gracefully."

Chouji laughed slightly, "You should make jokes more often, actually no, jokes from you are even funnier because it's never expected."

"Usually because I dislike jokes."

"Oh everyone loves jokes, it's just finding the right combination of things funny. Anyway let's sit down before it gets too crowded."

"Where is everyone?"

"I haven't heard from Sasuke or Naruto, so maybe they're still on the train, Shika is…" Chouji trailed off, looking uncomfortable, "Uh, let's sit down first."

When they were seated a few minutes later, Chouji had bought the book and was now tapping the book's cover nervously. This must be serious, because Chouji had not ordered any food.

"Shika-," Chouji paused, and looked down, mumbling "Shikamaru isn't coming today, we've been having problems."

"Oh. I'm sorry I did not realise."

"Its fine, we haven't been fighting or anything but we've…been talking about the future."

Shino remained silent, so Chouji continued; "In less than one year, we'll graduate and everything will be different. I mean you'll move on to the Masters programme but you might be married, I'll start training at my dad's main restaurant, and Shika will be an intern at his dad's company, we'll be real adults won't we?"

"I suppose so."

"So we all need to think about our future and families, Chokichi(1) will take over the family name but I'll be a partner in the business. Shika will inherit, and heirs can't be gay."

"That's a very negative view, especially from you."

"Well I...it's time to be realistic," but Chouji did not look convinced.

Shino considered this, "Has anyone said anything to you? His parent's maybe?"

"Oh no, they haven't spoken about his future and still don't suspect a thing, and that's part of the problem, our dads are best friends and it would kill them to know we were together."

"You've been a couple for nearly six years."

"Six years of secrecy, I just can't pretend anymore and I don't want him to face either losing his family or dumping me, and obviously dumping me."

"I don't think he would."

"Shino...we both know I'm not good enough to pick over family."

Shino was silent for a moment, a little surprised at Chouji's negative view, then;

"What has Shikamaru said?"

"When I said everything I've said to you he said he had to think about things, so he's gone to his parents' estate."

"He must have a lot to think about."

"He has to strengthen his business ties, and the best way still is marriage, I mean your family will become a lot more important after your wedding."

"I don't think Shikamaru would care about the business that much."

"That's why I'm making the decision for him, I don't want him to regret anything."

"Don't you think that's a little unfair? If he doesn't care what people think than it's his decision."

Chouji simply shook his head, now looking down at the book so Shino could not see his expression.

Shino let out a small sigh, he had no idea what to say about their relationship but he needed to correct his friend, "I'm not going to marry."

"What?" The redhead looked up, surprised.

"We spoke to each other about it and neither of us want to marry, we're going to find a way out."

"You never said anything before!"

"What was to say? I didn't want to disappoint anyone but Hinata pointed out that we would both be unhappy eventually."

"When did you decide this?"

"Last night. We spoke privately."

"But..." Chouji seemed even more confused "What about the family ties? I know it wasn't business but won't it be awkward?"

"We've decided to find a way to dissolve it mutually without embarrassment."

"Like?"

He paused, "I don't know yet," he admitted.

"Is it because of that boy you've met, Kiba?"

"No...I like him, but if Hinata had spoken to me about this a year ago I still would have agreed with her."

"Oh...I-" Chouji paused, "I'm really surprised," he said, "Because you've said nothing all this time and Hinata has always been so quiet whenever I've met her, I didn't think she would be the one to suggest breaking it off."

"As you said, thinking about the future."

"So does he know about it?"

"He knows, he had a lot to say about it, most I won't repeat..." It suddenly occurred to him that Kiba and Hinata had, although using different words, said the same thing.

Chouji blushed, but his reply was cut off by a small bell gong. He pulled out his phone and flipped it open.

"It's Naruto, they aren't coming, it doesn't say why, just that they aren't coming."

"Probably another fight."

"Maybe, Naruto usually sends lots of messages saying things like he wants to rip out Sasuke's guts with a fishing hook or replace his shampoo with hair removal cream, so I'll probably get those later. Does Sasuke say anything to you?"

Shino raised an eyebrow, surely he knew them both long enough to know the answer? Chouji seemed to realise this as he laughed slightly, "I forgot, he wouldn't say much and even if he did you wouldn't say."

Shino only smiled slightly in acknowledgement.

Chouji smile slipped away and he sighed, looking outside. Obviously his mind was still occupied.

Eventually the redhead seemed determined to pull himself together and smiled again at his friend.

"Well, it's just us two, and going drinking is no real fun when you're not a big drinker and I'm a big eater, what should we do?"

"We could get something to eat," Shino really could go without eating for a few more hours, but he knew it would cheer his friend up. Indeed, Chouji's face lit up, "The new barbeque place?"

"If you wish."

They stood to leave, and it occurred to Shino to enquire after Chouji's friend.

"How is Ino?"

"In love, she met this guy online who lives in Tokyo so she's always talking to him, she's even talking about living with him when she's graduated."

"I see...may I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"How do you manage with dating a smoker and their habits?"

.

Why exactly did Naruto think that he was ever interested in watching 'hilarious' videos online? Really, he did not even watch variety shows, so why would he be interested in spending more time on the computer watching crude and simple so-called 'comedy'?

Shino had to refrain from tutting in disapproval as he deleted all the 'funny' emails Naruto had sent him, really, how did he end up with such a friend?

"You know, I'm still in shock," a voice piped up behind him, he ignored it.

"I might haveta reconsider our relationship."

An email from a teacher, he typed a quick response.

"How the fuck could you have never have played Mortal Kombat! It's the shit!"

Finally he turned in his chair to face Kiba, "I don't think I've missed out."

"Yes you have, you haven't lived until you've chopped up a ninja with a pitchfork."

Kiba was lying on Shino's bed sideways on his back, his legs splayed on the wall while his head was hanging off the edge, playing one of his portable video game consoles, he had no idea what kind.

"I think I've done well in life without that."

"Nope, deprived, and you've never owned one video game? That should count as child abuse!"

He turned back to the screen gently shaking his head. He had a few more emails to reply to, if he was alone he would be done by now.

"Ask a question?"

"Of course."

"What you gonna be doing when you're twenty-seven?"

"Twenty-seven? I suppose I might be on an expedition in the Pacific Islands."

" 'Pacific Islands'? Why there?"

"Parasitic insects."

"Ugh...wait, you're pale like a ghost, won't you explode when the sun hits you?"

"I'm not the type of pale person that burns."

"Oh, cool."

"Why do you ask?"

"Eh, I figured the other day that business will start to dry up after I turn twenty-seven, which is alright cos I wanna quit long before I'm thirty, so I want to start thinking about what to do when I'm old."

"Twenty-seven isn't old."

"In my job it makes you nearly middle-aged! And anyway hardly anyone wants to be doing this shit when they hit thirty."

"So do you have any ideas for your future?"

"Well...yeah, I was sorta thinking of becoming a dog breeder. Haveta buy my own house and get some shitty qualifications, but I really love dogs. Or even help Hana set up an animal shelter one day."

"Wouldn't that cost a lot of money?"

"I have money."

"I know you must earn a decent amount but I thought you spent it all on dog biscuits, hair gel and those disgusting cigarettes."

"Says the guy with a fetish for old man clothes and flesh-eating bugs, but seriously I earn more than I spend...want to know how much I earned last year?"

"Not really."

Kiba told him.

Shino almost looked around to see if Kiba's face showed if he was telling the truth, more than a little surprised, instead he resumed his typing "Is that before or after you've paid your agency?"

"After."

"Ah."

There was a lull, then, "Maybe," he heard Kiba stand from the bed, "I could come with you, when you go travelling to look at bugs."

Shino turned the chair around to look at him, "And why would you do that?"

"See the world, shit like that. I mean, I've never left this country," The brunet turned off the video game and threw it on the bed, crossing the short distance between them with a smile.

Shino wondered what he was doing, "Neither have I," Kiba put his arms on Shino's shoulders and sat down with his legs on either side of Shino's waist, making himself very comfortable on the surprised boy's lap, "So..." moving his hands to play with the short hairs to the back of Shino's neck "in the future we can go different places, now you're not marrying that chick you can do whatever you want."

"Maybe," Shino was not exactly sure where to put his hands for a moment before they found their way resting on Kiba's thighs, "We still need to find a way out without upsetting people."

"You talked to her about that since you decided?"

"Yes...it seems difficult to find a way."

"What if ya can't think of anything?"

Shino thought for a moment, the thought had occurred to him earlier "We will have to."

Somehow his hands had found their way to interlock around Kiba's back, "Or the only other way is to tell them the truth"

"What's wrong with that?"

"I'm the heir...there are expectations, I know they love me but I..."

He trailed off, feeling uncertain about what to say. Kiba looked thoughtful,

"Hey, ya know I said you were a coward, but I was thinking about and I guess cos I've never had to tell the parents I dunno what it's like."

"Perhaps I am being a coward."

"You ain't, you're just in a shitty situation."

Shino sighed, and leaned forward until his head was resting against Kiba's chest.

"Hey, if shit gets rough you know you can always stay with me, I have cable and Akamaru makes a great guard dog."

Shino moved his head slightly to look up at Kiba, "And smell like cigarettes and dog hair like you?"

"Hey I don't smell like-" Kiba paused to sniff his faded shirt, "Okay maybe I do a little, but he doesn't go into the bedroom, so you can keep your old man clothes there, plus I can't keep asking my friends to dog-sit while I work."

"I'm flattered."

He was not sure who went for the kiss, but it wasn't really important. Unlike their first kiss, this one was slower, with no one to see he could really let himself relax and enjoy it.

Their noses bumped when Kiba moved his head, and Kiba broke away for a second to mutter a breathless apology before going back in, his arms winding and Shino's neck and pulling him forward for a deeper kiss.

Shino was not sure of how long they had been kissing, but he broke away suddenly when he heard the familiar squeak of the stairs when someone stepped on them.

"Parents," He whispered, urgently, Kiba's eyes widened, and he scrabbled from Shino's lap and threw himself onto the now very rumpled bed, narrowly avoiding crushing his handheld console before grabbing it and turning it on, while Shino quickly wiped his mouth and turned back to his computer, trying to appear his usual composed self.

A few seconds later, there was a calm knock at the door.

Shino turned, "Come in."

The door slid open to reveal Shino's father, "I just came to see if you were home," he said, before he suddenly saw Kiba. The older man stared at him for a moment before saying, in a tone that only his wife and son would recognise as surprise, "I see you have a guest."

"Yes, this is my friend Kiba," The aforementioned boy seemed slightly dumbstruck for a moment, glancing between Shino and his father before he remembered his manners to stand up and bow.

"Nice to meet you!"

Shino's father politely inclined his head, "Nice to meet you as well, I shall leave you two to continue socialising."

After he left, Kiba turned to Shino with a huge smile on his face, "That's so fucking awesome, now I know where you get it from."

"Get what?"

"Everything!"

.

The next day they went to a dog-friendly park, and as soon as Kiba unclipped the leash Akamaru was tearing across the grass to play with the other dogs.

Kiba's phone rang, and he pulled out what Shino knew was his personal phone, glancing at the call screen before grimacing and putting the phone away without answering. Shino raised an eyebrow but did not say anything, but Kiba saw his expression.

"Hana," He said, "Don't really feel like talking to her right now."

"Ah."

A little while later they were sat on the park bench idly talking, when Kiba's phone rang again. Again, Kiba glanced at the screen and put it away.

"Is she annoyed with you?"

"Huh?"

"I assume that was your sister again."

"Yeah, well...keep a secret?" Shino merely raised an eyebrow.

"Good point, and anyway you told me stuff so it's only fair that I share, she wants me to come round hers for dinner soon."

"Is that bad?"

"Well nah, I just don't fit with her new family."

"Kiba-"

"I mean, I fucking love her to death and I'll always be there for her, but it's like I don't really fit in."

"What has she done to make you feel this way?"

"Nothing, she's always callin' me saying I need to visit more, her husband and kids are real cool, we all spend the holidays together, and she calls me 'brat' like she used to…but, well,"

Kiba seemed focused on playing with Akamaru's lead, eyebrows furrowed. After a minute of silence he took out his cigarettes and lighter, and it was only after he lit up and exhaled did he speak again.

"We only got back into contact just over a year ago, not cos of a fight or some dumb shit like that, but…" He trailed off, seeming to work out what to say in his head. Finally; "You're a smart guy, so you obviously know by my accent that I'm not exactly from around here. I came to Tokyo by accident when I was eleven."

"...Accident?"

Kiba began to talk, his voice sliding into monotone; "We're from Chiba. Our 'kaasan had to work two crappy jobs to look after us cos our loser dad ran off years back, but we were doing okay, we were happy. Then one day she died, we came home from school and there was police and…yeah, car accident.

Sis had just finished school so she tried to get a job but there was nowhere that would give her a job, I tried to get an after-school job but I was too young, so things were real bad for a while. Then suddenly these guys in suits, probably yakuza now that I think about it, they starting hanging around the house and causing trouble, I still dunno why.

"Then one morning Hana woke me up real early one day and told me to pack some clothes, and like two hours later we were on a train. We got off at Tokyo and the place was so packed with people changing trains we got separated. I ended up stuck at the station looking for her all day, didn't see her and got scared that the guys in suits had taken her away so I went out onto the streets looking for her. Obviously you know what happened, I didn't know the city or anyone so I got lost, ended up sleeping rough on the streets for I dunno how long, then I was found and taken in to a children's home.

"I had no idea what happened to her, I didn't want to go to the cops because the ones back in Chiba didn't help us when we needed them, and I had no money to hire a detective, so I used to wander the streets whenever I could. I stopped when I got older, I thought she had been taken far away or that she really did just dump me there, else why the fuck couldn't I find her?

"Last year I got a phone call from a private detective saying he had been hired by Hana. Turns out she hadn't figured she'd lost me in the crowd and didn't realise until the direct train to Kyoto was pulling away from the platform, so once the train stopped at Kyoto she got the next one back. Think I was gone by then, but she kept looking. She stayed in Tokyo, got a job and started night school, but every day she'd go out looking for me. She…she kept looking for me even after I'd given up, I mean she worked and studied, qualified, married a great guy and started a family but she still looked all over the city for me. As soon as she could afford it, she hired the best private detective in the country and he found me in five weeks."

"Amazing."

"Yeah well, after the detective told me everything about Hana he said I should appreciate what she's done and give up my disgusting lifestyle so I don't shame her. I dunno if he meant fucking men or that I do it for a job but he probably meant both." Kiba put out the barely touched cigarette and lit a new one.

Shino frowned slightly, "She doesn't know."

"And she never will. It's not like I'm fuckin' ashamed or anything, I do what I'm good at and get paid a lot 'cos of it, but I'm her baby bro, our ma worked hard so we wouldn't end up as no-goods and I don't want her knowing that I dropped out of high school because I didn't care about it, and started sleeping with people for money. You know, for a career."

"I don't think she would despise you."

"So, what then, she'd feel sorry for me? That's even worse."

"What did you tell her?"

"Said I was a host at one of those host clubs, I cover a friend every now and then so it's not complete crap, but now she's saying I should get a real job. Thing is, after I dropped out it was either this job or working at some shit supermarket, so I can't just go 'okay' and get a office job, and even if I could I don't want to."

"A lot of older siblings usually tell their brothers or sisters what they should do, I really don't think she would despise you for following your own path."

Kiba snorted, muttering "So what I should I say? 'Hey sis I slept with two guys last night and earned just under ¥250,000 (2) in five hours, ain't that awesome? ' My ass wouldn't touch the ground when she'd throw me out!"

"Have you told her you like your job?"

"Nah."

"Perhaps...Of course I don't know how it feels to be in this situation, but perhaps you should tell her that you enjoy your job, you make a lot of money and will find another job when you're ready."

Kiba glanced at him, the first time he had looked over since he started talking, "You mean lie?"

"Well, in this situation it could be as one of my friends put it 'selective truth', you earn a lot and won't stay in it forever, as for enjoying it, I can only assume you tolerate it, to do it for so long."

Kiba considered it for a moment, "That's a good idea, but I'd have thought you'd tell me to be honest."

"Would rather I did?"

"No but...you're having problems now with keeping secrets."

"This is different, you don't want to disappoint her but you have no other options, whereas I've put off mine for too long."

"Yeah, well at least you're doing something about it, I guess I'm the coward...but I'll think about what you said."

"I've never thought of you as a coward."

"Hn," Kiba was now looking back at Akamaru playing with the other dogs, "I think when it comes to real personal stuff people sometimes do really stupid things when they should just be honest, but its hard y'know? I don't wanna lose people because I'm doing stupid things."

Shino was not sure what her could say and so chose to say nothing. Instead, he slid closer to Kiba, and put his hand over his. The brunet looked at him in slight surprise but did not argue. Instead, he let their fingers intertwine.

.

A little later, the boys and their dog were back at Kiba's place, and Shino was looking for a film to watch before dinner.

"I'm almost afraid to look," Shino muttered under his breath, as he scanned the case spines, "I'm not sure if I will like what I find."

"Eh?"

I'm not sure if I want to see what… you have in your DVD collection,"

"Why's that? You don't like violent movies?

Despite still facing away from the brunet, Shino resisted the urge to roll his eyes, "Do you keep your regular and… personal films together or separate?"

Kiba did not reply, and just when Shino looked around to see if he had dozed off on his futon the other boy sat up, "D'ya mean porn? Don't worry about that cuz I don't have any."

"Really?" That was hard to believe.

"Think about it, I have sex at least four or five times a week, sometimes three times a day. Sex for me is for work or fun times with boyfriends, when I've got time to my self I just wanna do other stuff. But if I do wanna jack off I've got a great imagination once I've locked Akamaru away in the bathroom."

"Why would you-"

"Ever have your pet staring at you while you're trying to enjoy yourself?"

"...No, but I see your point."

Kiba lay down again, staring at the ceiling. After a few moments, he began to rub the lower part of his stomach, near his pelvis. Shino watched him for a few moments, witness to see the slow movements of his splayed fingers across his taut stomach, hearing his breath slow down and deepen. Was this how he sounded when he…

Shino turned back to the stack of DVDs, he could feel his face becoming warm and was not exactly sure what to do in this situation, so he busied himself with his previous task. Eventually he picked up a promising film.

"Hey," Kiba said suddenly, "you got a porn stash? Bet you do, but it's really boring arty stuff, like in black and white with two fully dressed guys in a park staring at each other for four hours."

He had to smile a little at that, "You think so?"

"Nah, I dunno, I just like the thought of you touching yourself."

Shino dropped the case.

"That reminds me, next time you do that take a picture on your phone and send it to me."

He quickly looked over his shoulder, did he hear that right? "Why?"

"Something to look at until I get the real thing."

"And what makes you think you'll ever get the real thing?" Shino picked up the case and went to the DVD player to put the film in.

"It'll happen, I'll find a way to annoy you into bed, I mean I've already gotten under your coat," Kiba reached for the remote and turned the TV on.

"You've certainly become forward lately, and that will be as far as you'll get if you keep talking like that," after he placed the DVD inside he turned to Kiba, "behave yourself."

"Of course, but hey I can't help it if I have raw animal magnetism,"

Kiba shuffled aside slightly on his futon as Shino came to sit next to him, surprising him by looping his arm around Shino's shoulders and bringing him down to lie next to him.

"Kiba!"

"We can still see the TV from here, and I won't try anything while there are ninjas on the screen."

Shino just sighed, and let the other boy cuddle him closer as they waited for the film to start.

"Thanks, for earlier," Kiba muttered suddenly, sounding almost embarrassed. Shino squeezed the other's boy arm slightly in acknowledgement.

About an hour later into the film, Kiba gently nudged him in the ribs,

"Hey, you wanna stay over for the weekend?"

.

For as long as Shino had known him, Shikamaru was a smoker.

Even at fifteen Shino had disapproved of the habit, but never really made an issue out of it, as Chouji had told them early in their friendship (when Shikamaru was outside taking an unofficial smoking break from class cleanup duty) that he had started in the memory of their favourite junior high school teacher that had died fighting to protect his pregnant fiancé from armed robbers.

When he asked Kiba why he did it, he had said that he just liked it, and when Shino asked him if he was worried for his health at all, Kiba just laughed and said he'd only die in a completely awesome way.

Shikamaru was one of the few people permitted to smoke inside the Aburame household, and by 'permitted', he could smoke in the small outside courtyard that was at the centre of the house. The two friends were sat on the wooden walkway's edge, looking at the small garden and pond that the gardener that came in twice a week took so much pride in.

Shikamaru outwardly seemed like his usual lazy self, but since had arrived twenty minutes ago he had smoked three cigarettes in a row, something was bothering him. Shino of course knew why, but experience in social convention had taught him that Shikamaru had come to talk about it, but he must wait until his friend had brought the subject up himself. He also knew not to read while his friend was bothered, so had to content himself with mentally naming the different species and characteristics of the insects that lived in his garden.

Eventually, after lighting yet another cigarette, Shikamaru finally spoke; "Chouji thinks we should break up."

"I know."

"Huh, I figured he'd either talk to you or Naruto, what else did he say?"

"Only that you would be better off marrying a woman; for your sake and the business that is."

"I don't know why he believes that crap."

"He feels that you need to consider the family's reputation."

"Did you agree?"

"No..." To think that Shikamaru thought he might agree stung a little, "I said that you cared about him more than anyone else."

"And I do! I know I don't run around screaming how I feel like other people, or even do much at all, but me and Chouji have known each other all our lives, he knows when I'm hungry and what I want before I do, but he doesn't realise how much I love him? Also, I know what you're thinking, yeah I've told him, I've been telling him since we got together, but he seems to just think I'll dump him as soon as it's convenient. It kinda feels like he doesn't think much of me."

"He's insecure."

"Yeah obviously, but why? After six years together?"

"It's possible...he did say that because our lives would change after we graduated."

"So what? After the student bubble burst I'd just ditch him?"

"I don't know."

"Geeze."

"I was surprised at how sudden this all is."

"I'm not."

"Then why did you leave?"

"My 'kaasan's always hassling me to become more involved in the businesses, so going to the estate to look at the accounts was a good excuse to get away and think, but I should have taken him with me so we could have talked properly.

"I care about the business but it's not gonna rule my life, work is work, and as long as my private life doesn't break the law no one should give a shit about what I do and who I love in private so somehow I've gotta prove that to him."

"A friend of mine has a similar philosophy to you."

"Friend? d'you mean that guy that you say you're not dating?"

"We're seeing each other."

"Really? That was a bit faster than I thought. When did that happen?"

"Less than a week ago."

"And you and Hinata are gonna dissolve the engagement?"

"...You have spoken to Chouji."

"Not yet, but apart from that you never mention the engagement and you like men, neither of you made an effort to see each other in two years so it was pretty obvious that there wasn't going to be a wedding, so how are you going to break the news?"

"We're trying to dissolve the engagement without causing embarrassment."

"Not gonna happen, you should just tell them you're gay."

"Why do you think that?"

"There's no way it could be done quietly now, you've both left that option behind years ago so just be honest now."

'Like you.'

"I heard that, I'm gonna tell them tomorrow."

"You are?"

" 'Kaasan's a bitch sometimes, but I know they'll be okay with it."

"What about Chouji?"

"Haven't told him, and I'm not gonna mention him when I talk to them, I'm not gonna out him."

"Do you think it would convince Chouji of your sincerity?"

"I don't know, but it'd be worth it, I'm tired of hiding."

"Hm."

After a moment, Shino broke the silence,

"Kiba has invited me to stay with him this weekend, could I tell my parents that I'm staying at your house?"

"Yeah yeah of course, it's not like you haven't covered for us a hundred times."

"Thank you."

"Hey, if everything works out for me and Chouji I'll be really glad I won't have to come up with troublesome excuses on why I'm out all night or sneak out of his place before his dad and brother woke up, and cos they're chefs they get up pretty damn early."

"Were you only keeping your sexuality a secret for Chouji?"

Shikamaru gave a kind of half smile and tapped the side of his nose. It was a habit he had picked up on since a trip to England and Shino was not entirely certain what it meant, but the few times Shikamaru had used the gesture Shino could only surmise that the gesture meant 'secret'.

Shikamaru's phone suddenly rang, and he pulled the phone out of his pocket, "Naruto?" A sudden burst of incomprehensible noise erupted from the speaker and Shikamaru jerked the phone away from his ear, "geeze, what the hell?" he muttered as soon as the noise went down slightly, "What? What's you and or Sasuke done now? Huh? Yeah he's right next to me...eh? Why don't you tell him yourself? Okay okay! Geeze..." Shikamaru pulled the phone away looking irritated and said "Naruto wants you to give Sasuke a message."

"Why doesn't he tell him himself?"

"Guess why."

"...Another fight? I don't want to be involved."

"None of us do, but I bet they never get the message, listen I don't think he's stopped ranting."

Indeed the enraged noises from the phone had no abated at all, in fact Shino half expected the speaker to sprout foam.

"I wonder if this was the same fight from a few days ago?"

"Really? Wouldn't they be having makeup sex by now?"

Shikamaru raised the phone between them and the two friends both leaned towards the phone to hear what Naruto was saying.

"-And you can also tell that rotten cunt that if he thinks I'll be chasing after him again after this he's even more egotistical and deluded than I thought! I've wasted years on that fucker and he just says...just tell that him I said fuck you, fuck you very much because I know he went through a lot of horrible stuff but he had NO FUCKING RIGHT to say that!"

.

Sleeping with Kiba the 'sort-of boyfriend' was a marked improvement from sleeping next to Kiba the 'drunk and rude stranger' that cost him a lot of money and embarrassment, although they needed to learn how to perfect 'snuggling' (as Kiba put it) without annoying each other. Shino liked to sleep on his stomach and tended not to move much during the night. Whereas Kiba's style seemed to be a bit of everything, thankfully not snoring, but constantly moving around and had rolled out of the futon more than once, even Akamaru at the foot of the bed looked annoyed with him. Eventually at about four in the morning Shino had had enough, and in mild desperation put his arms around Kiba's t-shirt covered torso and lay his head on the brunet's chest to keep him still. It worked, but it was good for Shino that it was dark and Kiba was still asleep, because Shino's face had grown hot at the intimate contact, all irritation now lost in the feel of Kiba's warmth and the worn cotton of his t-shirt. Even when he yawned and mumbled "Beef please," it was almost sweet.

When Shino woke late in the morning Kiba was already awake. He was lying on his back staring at the ceiling, but as soon as Shino shifted to look at him he looked over, and smiled after a moment.

"So that's what your eyes are like, I didn't think they'd be grey."

It took a moment for Shino's still-waking mind to catch up before he realised what he said and reached for his glasses, but Kiba's hand stopped his. "Don't," he said quietly, "you look nice." Shino looked at him carefully to see if he was being honest for a moment, before slowly withdrawing his hand. Kiba kept his hold on the hand and began to slowly run his fingers up Shino's arm, slowly pushing the sleeve of his sleeping shirt up to his elbow to trace the minute scars, all the time looking straight at him. Shino felt strangely naked.

"So how come you wear those all the time anyway?" Kiba said at last.

"I'm short sighted, as well as light sensitive."

"Your dad as well?"

"Yes, it's genetic."

A shuffle of sheets as Kiba moved closer, and they kissed slowly.

While their kisses became deeper and more intimate, Kiba had reached down with his hand and did something that was...very nice.

After, Shino insisted on cooking while he stayed over, partly to say thank you but, mostly so Kiba would not die of scurvy. Shino really was the most basic of cooks, his parents had insisted on his learning home skills because they both worked and he considered that fair, but his cooking skills were limited to healthy but extremely plain.

Kiba however just seemed ecstatic to have food that wasn't instant, although he made sure to complain about the lack of meat, and threw a handful of bacon from a packet onto the meal before practically inhaling the food with a sheer a lack of manners that made Akamaru's dining habits seem worthy of royalty.

On Saturday night one of Kiba's phones rang. He picked up the phone, answering it while grabbing an old notepad and pen. He said very little apart from "Yep," every now and then, and "Thanks," when he hung up.

Shino glanced up from his book, "Work?"

"Yeah, it's not too far away so I won't be gone too long," But Kiba didn't seem very happy about it as he stood to go get ready.

Less than an hour later they stood in the hallway, Kiba looking strange again in a suit while smelling of the shower and a splash of expensive cologne. Akamaru had fallen asleep earlier so the main room door was closed.

There would have been an awkward silence at the situation if Kiba wasn't so hell bent on ruining it. Instead he leaned forward, biting his lower lip slightly before he spoke. Shino tried to ignore that he found Kiba's slightly longer than normal canine teeth attractive.

"Can I have a kiss to remember until I get back?" he asked.

"Isn't that unprofessional?"

"Yeah," He nodded and slowly undid his tie, "If I was fully dressed, but my tie's undone, so I'm not at work," he replied, cheeky as ever as he waggled his eyebrows in an attempt to look sexy.

Despite himself Shino smiled a little, and leaned in to capture Kiba's warm lips, the heat of the kiss dissolving the strangeness of the situation.

When they parted, Kiba made sure that Shino saw him lick his lips as he slowly fixed his tie, "I'll see you later."

"Take care."

After a moment, Kiba's smile grew a little, "Doesn't this feel weird? Me off to work and you saying bye to me like a housewife, maybe you should have packed me a lunch."

"Go away."

"So cruel!" Kiba dramatically dabbed his eyes, then winked at him and left.

.

In the small hours of the morning Shino was woken from his sleep by the sound of a key in the lock, and the door opening. After some shuffling in the bedroom, the door to the main room opened and he heard Kiba yawn and start to undress. Soon he felt the covers move as Kiba got into the large futon and immediately cuddle against him, and Shino soon drifted off again.

Shino suddenly woke less than an hour later when Kiba elbowed him in the face, while still fast asleep. After shoving the arm away from his face he quietly got up to use the bathroom, although Kiba and Akamaru were such heavy sleepers a tank could have rolled through the room and they would not stir.

When he returned, he was suddenly very glad that Kiba actually had a curtain drawn back for the night time, or he would have surely have fallen and broken his neck on all the rubbish Kiba hoarded in the room.

It also meant that he could look at Kiba, really look at him without all the layers of crudeness and attitude. Quietly, Shino sat down on his previous spot on the futon, unable to look away from the steady rise and fall of the brunet's bare chest that was half-covered by the blanket, with his face relaxed in a deep sleep he looked less defensive, but still handsome.

He had lied to his parents to see this, he knew that he would feel terrible when he went home tomorrow evening, but whenever he was with Kiba very little seemed to matter. It was not that he forgot his responsibilities, but he was so new to this...whatever it was they had, he liked it and found it more important.

The more he got to know him, the more he liked Kiba, and while he still felt the same way about the marriage before he had met him, he was glad that he was not alone in dealing with it. Of course there were his friends, but this was...this was different.

Shino raised a corner of the blanket and was about to slip back under the covers when something on Kiba caught his eye and made him pause. He briefly considered it to just be a trick of the moonlight on one of his tattoos, but curiosity made him pull the covers back further.

He took a sharp intake of breath, unprepared for what he saw. There, on the right side of Kiba's stomach, was an old but jagged, angry scar.

(1) Chokichi – The name I picked for Chouji's older brother, apparently it means 'good fortune'.

(2) ¥250,000 – About £1,746, or $2,682 US.

Review responses, also birthday cake for everyone!

Since only earthbender068 and A-Girl-Named-Mary replied to my question, the review replies will stay!

A-Girl-Named-Mary - Haha okay then, I won't burn my work!

As for writing, hm well if I'm at my best I can write 1-2k words a day, but when I'm busy or not 100% focused it can be 300-600 words. But that's just me, it's different for everyone.

MizzAKA - Seme or uke? To be honest I haven't thought about it, I don't have a preference for this couple.

They definitely need to be honest with their parents, but I understand why the situation is making them nervous, one of the worst feelings in the world is disappointing your loving parents.

soda'slover - Very belated Happy New Years! Also I don't think they took too long, Shino wouldn't just get together with anyone after a day no matter how much he liked them, it's a good thing Kiba is so persistent!

Cuzosu – Stayed tuned ^.~

Demonlifehealer - Thank you! I think that if she wasn't in love with Neji she would quietly go along with the marriage to please her dad, but she wouldn't be happy about it.

I didn't think about that with the parents so you could be right, I think that they would understand loving someone far outside your social circle, but we'll see. As for Hyuuga-san...well, again we'll see.

YaoiNaru - I'm glad you're glad ^^ I hope it was sweet and romantic without being cheesy.

Onewhowatches - Awww I don't mind, more to love *hug* How is baby?

Haha I hope I wasn't being obvious about it being Neji, and you must be patient for awesome sex!

I hope to meet Sir Terry when his next book comes out, hopefully he can sign it *.* I know some people bring a bug stack of books, but I think thats unfair so I would die happy if he just signed his latest for me.

earthbender068 - Will keep the reviews then, that's a dang spiffy reason!

Thank you lovely for your lovely Christmas garland! Have an easter egg made with proper European chocolate, as well as your slice of birthday cake.

I love that everyone immediately got that Hinata's love was Neji, I guess I am as subtle as a brick through a window. But yeah, it was tricky to work out Hinata's bravery. In the series her development pretty much revolves around Naruto (which I have a big issue with) so it was a matter of seeing what she would be like without Naruto. I like Hinata but I hate it when a character's personality is defined by loving someone, it just seems really unhealthy and co-dependant. So in this, loving Neji has not defined her, but made her realise that she should be unhappy with Shino anyway. But yes, they need to get out of this marriage!

Oh bless Shino and his social naivety, but I suppose that when you're frustrated you do silly things!

What was in Sasuke and Naruto's basket, you so so don't want to know, disgusting and disgraceful stuff ;)

As for Shino and Kiba's relationship, I always thought that despite being quiet and conservatively dressed, Shino is a very open minded character, his only intolerances is stupidity and incompetence ^^. So I think as long as Kiba is okay with it, so is he.

Ah Kiba...you're right, in that industry you're practically middle-aged by 25, and I've heard a lot give up long before they turn 30, not just age but for many different reasons. He'll definitely remain hot, but I don't think he'll want to do this job when he's 'old'.

On Kankuro, I was waiting ages to mention Kiba's BFF, we'll see him later!

Hehe, Kiba's English skillz come from that he has a lot of Western Clients. I learned, shockingly, in the Japanese sex trade a lot of workers won't take Wesetern clients because they think it would 'devalue' them. Of course Kiba's mind is more open than a black hole, so he won't care at all, also they would pay more, so English has been a big bonus towards earning more money.

As for the bridge scene, I hope it was sweet and not sappy, (I'm a strange person, I love romance but hate mushy stuff, so I'm in danger of making it clinical) I suppose that's why I prefer Austen's work, romantic but without sap.

Oh and yes, Shino is very hot, he should be molested more often!

Hahaha I didn't even consider whether Kiba likes chocolate or not. I meant that he wouldn't like the cafe because it's too cutesy, but you raised a good question. I think Kiba probably would l;ike chocolate and spends most of his time while eating chocolate trying to keep Akamaru away.

bored spitless - Haha, well it wasn't a date as much as hanging out, actually its quite shameful that they haven't had a real date yet!

Shino would be too polite to ask about his friends basket, I've been in sex shops with friends and laughed at the cheesy stuff, but if I ran into a friend and their partner shopping I'd have a giggle with them, but that's me.

Turtle Kid - 'Omen' is named after the song by The Prodigy, tis an awesome song so don't worry, it's not a warning...or is it? *villain laugh*

A/N: Well I'm back y'all, I hope you enjoyed this super-long chapter. I'm very sorry for the epic delay, but after I completed my horrible dissertation I suffered a massive writer's block on this story. I had no problem coming up for new stuff (and I know at least one of my fair regular reviewers enjoyed one of my new stories), but with 'Shameless'...well, it was like after I posted the chapter and replied to a few fic-related emails, I switched the 'Shameless' part of my brain off and since February I've been stumbling around in the dark trying to find the switch to turn it back on. I've also been job hunting seriously, which is...fun :|

Also, my birthday has just passed (I am now an old woman of 24 *sobs*) and I would love to have some lovely reviews from you awesome people, especially the lurkers!

No I'm doing that "I want 20-50 reviews or I won't update/will be demotivated!" shit, that's one of my fic beserk buttons, but I figured as the birthday girl I can ask for many reviews! Pretty please? Let me know what you think! As always, I love your reviews and feedback, every piece of constructive criticism helps me to become a better writer. If you think its good, needs some work, or so bad it needs the cleansing touch of fire, let me know! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!

* * *

** [NOTE: This is mainly about my Naruto fic Shameless but also serves as notice about my other work.]**  
**Hi guys, I'm not sure how many of you check on my profile for updates so I'm messaging everyone on the Shameless Story Alert and regular readers as well as putting this notice on my profile.**  
**Okay, I'm very aware of the fact that I haven't updated since April, and until recently it's because I was focusing RL stuff and other projects. Until last month I was actually working on the next two chapters to update as soon as possible, but right now I physically can't update before new year. I was injured a month ago and pulled a muscle in my right arm, which has lead to a trapped nerve which is...unbelievably painful. This means that I can't write or type very much per day and I'm generally in a lot of pain and very tired because of my medication. I was hoping that it get better soon but it's looking like this will take a few months to fix, worst case scenario is surgery (eep!).**  
**I know some of you will have noticed I updated a fic a few days ago and are wondering why I'm saying now that I can't write, but I had written the chapter before my injury so I just decided to post it because, why not.**

**I'm about halfway through chapter 7 (most written last month) and I'm trying to write a little per day, but I'm honestly not going to risk messing up my arm even more and push myself to far.**  
**I'm not dropping this story at all. This just means I'm taking my time and for now all my other projects are on hold.**

**I know it seems weird to be SO SRS about a fic, but I know if I liked a story and there was nothing for months I'd appreciate a note on what's going on.**


	8. Silent Jealousy

Hi gang, how's you? Fantastic!

I hope y'all liked the Shameless prequel, 'The Good Boy'. I have to say Kiba is amazingly easy to write for.

Thank you all for the lovely birthday wishes! They really meant a lot to me. I do love how you guys have stuck with me and the story for so long, I must be doing something right!

I felt it was only right to finish this today, as it's now my 25th birthday today! 25, wut.

NU CAKE FOR EVERYONE! Hope everyone enjoys it, I'm going to the seaside with my friends in my morning. I can't tell you guys how much I'm looking forward to sun, sand, ice cream, fish & chips and rock candy!

I'm having therapy for my arm btw, and I'm improving slowly, hopefully I can write more now, but I'm not pushing myself.

Btw dudes, I got an A on my dissertation. Go. Me. :D

Silent Jealousy is by X-Japan. Fucking classic. If you love J-rock but haven't listened to X-Japan, you need to, RIGHT NOW!

Special thanks go to koholint for helping me out on super short notice :3

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7. Silent Jealousy

As he showered the next morning, Shino had to stifle a few yawns; he had not slept well the rest of the night. How could he sleep, after what he saw? He may have been sheltered but even he knew that Kiba must have been stabbed at some point, and by considering how old it looked it happened at least a few years ago.

But why did it happen? Was he robbed or did he upset the wrong person? Was it because of his job?

Shino spent a longer time than usual in the bathroom as he dressed, wondering how he might approach the subject. Kiba might not mind at all… or it could be a taboo subject. Perhaps Kiba had enough going on in his life without him asking uncomfortable questions. Or perhaps he would be fine with it. Perhaps.

After brushing his hair briskly (it was pointless to do anything else, after ten minutes it would be messy again no matter what he tried), he left the bathroom. In the living area he saw Kiba was awake and wandering over to the kitchen area, yawning widely, now wearing a t-shirt with his boxers; he obviously must have put the shirt on when he woke up. Kiba soon noticed him and grinned, bounding over to wrap his arms around him for a kiss.

"Mornin' sexy," Kiba murmured when their lips parted, "What's for breakfast?"

Shino said the first thing that came to mind. "Cleaning."

"Eh?" Kiba's expression was priceless.

"We are going to clean this place; it's barely fit for Akamaru to live in."

"Really?"

Akamaru barked in agreement, and Kiba looked around the room, his eyes obviously not taking in the overflowing ashtrays and the layer of dust on the TV screen that was thick enough to write his name in. "Looks fine to me."

"Kiba, I may be a guest but I cannot ignore the fact that your place is sloppy."

"Aw, take that stick out of your ass, its comfy! You're just jealous because your room looks like a bug-filled prison!"

"I have nothing against comfort, but we have to clean up."

"Ugh...can we at least make out first?"

"Later."

"_Fuck_."

.

"What if I told him I wanted to go work in South America for a few years; would that deter your father?"

Hinata stirred her tea, looking down at the cup.

"No, I don't think that will. I think he would say that a married couple should stay together and that I would go with you."

Shino's shoulders dropped minutely under his coat. "And if I said that there was very little chance of us coming back?"

"Then he would buy us a house and would visit us."

She sipped the lukewarm tea. She had not looked up once in at least twenty minutes, and he could not blame her. "This is just -" her voice cracked on the last word and she covered her face with her hands, breathing shallow. It was several moments before she could speak again.

"I just," she sighed, and moved her fingers so she could look at him through the gaps like a child. "There really is no way, is there?"

".. perhaps we haven't explored every option."

"But there are no other ways! Our parents want us to marry each other so much, even if it was mutually dissolved… father would - would be so angry, and if I wanted to marry... I would be cut off, not just from my inheritance, but from the family."

"Would he really be so angry if you married Neji?"

She looked up at him, surprised. "What?

"After the dinner, I saw the look between you." Shino paused, a little uncertain, "Or am I mistaken?"

Hinata was silent, before shaking her head.

"No, you're right."

Shino sipped his drink, considering what to say.

"Can I ask how it started? I don't mean to sound callous, but he used to be rather cruel to you when we were children..."

"Yes, he... well, it's difficult to explain. I always knew he hated me because our fathers hated each other before uncle died, and that he was only kept around because he was the closest male to inherit… but then... do you remember when I broke my wrist when I was twelve?"

"Of course… you tripped at school if I remember right."

"That's what I told everyone, but, well, Neji pushed me."

"What?"

"Please don't be angry with him, let me explain. That day, I managed to get the courage to finally approach him and say that I wanted us to be friends. He called me an idiot and pushed me; I fell awkwardly and that was how my wrist was broken. Please remember that he was only thirteen, he didn't really mean to hurt me… after I fell he called an ambulance and stayed with me at the hospital. The next day he apologised and said that if I still wanted to, we could start over and be friends. Which of course I did, so slowly we became friends."

"I see."

"I only realised how much I felt for him a few years ago when he went to university in America, and I cried for nearly a week. When he came back during the holiday, he was so cold again and it was a while until we were as we were before... it was only last year he confessed he loved me, but tried to not to for years. We've both tried so hard not to, but I can't describe how drawn we are to each other."

Suddenly Shino and Hinata's phones bleeped at the same time, and they both checked their messages.

_Phone email from Inuzuka. K to Aburame. S. _

Yo, I'll be at Harajuku in a bit buying stuff, wanna meet up?

"Neji wants to meet me for lunch," Hinata smiled at him slightly, "Would you be very angry if I cut our tea short?"

"Not at all, I've been invited to meet someone in Harajuku as well…"

"Someone?"

"Yes."

"Is it the 'someone' you mentioned before?"

"Yes."

They enjoyed a comfortable taxi ride, but when they exited Hinata brought the subject up again.

"Can I ask, how long have you been with her?"

_Her? Oh..._ "I've known them for a few months, but when we've... about two weeks."

"What is she like?

"Unusual, but you would like them."

"If you like her, I don't see why I wouldn't." She smiled, "I'll speak to you soon."

"Goodbye."

He lingered a little while, thinking as he watched her until she disappeared inside the hotel bar.

"So that's her."

Shino was surprised he didn't jump at Kiba's sudden voice, especially as he seemed to appear right next to him.

"She's cute, what's her name again?"

"Hinata. When did you arrive?"

"Ages ago… saw you guys arrive so I snuck up on ya."

"Like a stalker."

"Like a ninja."

"Why?"

"Because. Anyway, you wanna go now?"

.

Two hours later, Shino was outside a rather unsavoury changing area while Kiba was trying on overpriced clothes. Apparently this trip was to buy a present for Kiba's best friend Kankuro, but within half an hour he had found a faintly hideous and somehow offensive statue with a glass funnel that Kiba said would look good in Kankuro's kitchen. Shino was unsure how such an abomination look good anywhere except inside a closed garbage bag, but in consideration of what he wanted to ask Kiba, which would possibly put him in a bad mood, he said nothing.

The rest of the day was spent with Kiba buying ugly clothes. Again, Shino knew his wardrobe sense would never be called fashionable, but he had no idea why Kiba would spend so much on clothes that looked as if they had been decorated by a child then dragged around a park. The shop they were in now was tastefully named 'Vomit', a dark place that looked like a small demilitarised zone, made even odder with the cheerful electro-pop music that the lone blond employee was bopping his head along to as he flicked through a magazine at the till counter.

"So," Kiba's voice came suddenly through the curtain, "What do you wanna do after this?"

"The park?"

"Cool. So did you two figure something out?"

Shino turned to look at the curtain. "Excuse me?"

"You and Hinata."

"No, not yet."

"Oh. D'ya think she really doesn't want to marry you?"

"It was she who brought the subject up."

"Huh, well maybe if you can't... maybe you should give it a go together."

"What?" Where was this coming from?

"Seriously, if she ain't serious then maybe you could try, y'know, with her...you'd probably have cute kids."

Shino opened the curtain and looked at Kiba. He was pulling on a shirt, and his eyes skittered over the scar before he looked at Kiba's face.

"Why are you saying this? The other week you were saying I would be unhappy."

"Yeah well," Kiba shrugged. "I dunno."

"I wasn't just going along with Hinata's decision, I decided for myself. In fact, you made me realise what was important…"

"I changed your mind?"

"No. I'm not a passive person, I just - " Shino paused, trying to order his words in a way that made sense. "Being with you, spending time with you, made me realise I'm far happier when I'm my true self."

Kiba looked doubtful. "Don't think so. If you really thought that, you'd know the easiest way to end it would be to tell your parents that you're gay."

"… that would be too much for them right now, to break off the engagement because I'm gay… that I've been lying to them for years about my sexuality."

"So what? You'll marry her or be single forever?"

"No, I - " _What?_ "'Single'?"

"If you keep hanging around me they'll be suspicious."

"Kiba," Shino stepped into the small cubicle and the closed the curtain behind him. "Why are you bringing this up now?"

Kiba looked away, pulling off the shirt and looked down at his hands now fidgeting with the material.

"I'm... kinda freaked out, she's so pretty. Pretty and looks as kind like you said before, like she was meant to be your loving wife. I just imaged what it'd be like for your parents, you saying you're dumping a perfect girl, and then bringing a rough guy like me along to meet them, that shit could get you kicked out."

"I doubt it would get to that... Kiba," Shino reached out and touched the other boy's hand. "I won't change my mind."

Kiba's hands were still fidgeting. "You won't?"

"Nothing will change my mind, or hers, she's in love with someone else."

Kiba looked up at last, looking surprised.

"She is?"

"Yes, they wish to marry as soon as possible." Shino paused, uncertain before speaking again. "And I told her that I was seeing someone."

"You told her that?"

"Yes. Was that right? This isn't some kind of game; we are... dating, aren't we?"

Shino had barely finished the question when Kiba grabbed him by his shirt collar and pulled him into a kiss.

"I like you a lot," Kiba murmured when they parted, "when I first called you my boyfriend I meant it."

Shino smiled slightly, "I'm glad."

Their mouths met again, warm and slow.

There was a sudden voice behind the curtain, flat with annoyance.

"Hey, no fucking in the changing room, either buy something or get out."

Kiba rolled his eyes and pulled back the curtain.

"Don't get your dick in a knot, we were having a moment!"

"Have it somewhere else! You buying or what?"

Several overpriced purchases and an hour later, the boys were in a quiet area in the nearby park enjoying the fresh warm air.

"Where is Akamaru?"

"Friend's dog sitting."

"Ah."

Shino was sat leaning against a tree, while Kiba was sat beside him, legs crossed and his hands busy trying to make a whistle with a blade of glass.

"Kiba, why were you saying those things earlier?"

"I dunno, just... seeing her, the thought of you two sleeping together, made me feel kinda... I dunno. I just want you for myself, but she looks like you two could get along just fine."

"As I said our minds are made up… and what makes you think that we slept together?"

"You've been engaged for a million years."

"We haven't, I've never had sex."

Kiba's head whipped round to face him so quickly it was a wonder he didn't get a neck injury.

"You're a virgin?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Not even with other guys?"

"I haven't."

"Really?"

This was beginning to become tiresome.

"Yes, is there a problem with that?"

"No, I mean everyone I know including me, lost it as soon as they could, I just assumed you did it a while ago... so, how come?"

"I would have to care for the person very deeply while in a committed relationship, and I simply haven't experienced that yet."

"Oh."

Shino expected several crude jokes but instead Kiba turned back to his makeshift whistle.

"Shino, do you like me?"

"I like you a lot, but I won't sleep with you."

Kiba turned back, smiling slightly. "Nah, I mean, am I likeable?"

"Of course."

"Ya think?"

"I wouldn't be here if I thought otherwise."

Kiba turned back to his hands.

"Kiba... are you okay? You haven't seemed like yourself today."

"Yeah, yeah I am, guess today's one of those times I don't really feel like myself."

"Why is that?"

"Dunno, it's just one of those days when you wake up and nothing seems right, catching myself doing or saying something I don't like, and memories of stuff keep fucking up your day."

Shino understood. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Maybe, I'll tell you about it some other time."

A while later, Shino spoke. "Kiba, may I ask about your scar?"

"Scar?"

"The one on your stomach."

"Oh. That."

"...I'm sorry, that was tactless."

"It's alright. Don't really want to talk about it right now, tell ya later?"

"Of course."

"Promise I will."

.

The next evening Shino decided to visit Kiba, although when Kiba opened the door looking as if he was dressing for work, Shino slightly wished he had just gone straight home.

"I need a favour, can you look after Akamaru tonight?"

"Why?"

"A friend just called, he's sick and asked me to cover for him tonight at the club. I'd get lots of tips, but all of my friends are working tonight, so could you?"

"I suppose."

Kiba smiled. "You," he leaned in and kissed Shino, "are fucking amazing. The place winds down at three, wanna come by?"

"What about Akamaru?"

"He'll be long asleep, and my best friend Kankuro works at the club and he really wants to meet you."

"Meet me?" That was... strange. "Why?"

"Don't worry, he won't bite... well, unless you ask him to."

Kiba was soon ready and out of the door with a quick grope and a "Call ya later!"

Shino sat at the kotatsu and started to read while Akamaru cuddled up to him. He stroked the dog's fur absently, admiring how such a massive beast was so gentle and friendly. He quite liked Akamaru, and he supposed it said a lot about Kiba that he could live in an apartment in Tokyo with such a large dog and have him so well behaved.

After a few minutes, Shino could not concentrate on his reading, for some reason the quiet of the apartment bothered him. Eventually he found himself staring at the wall – the silence was giving him too much to think about. Shikamaru and Chouji, and his own decision. Even Kiba's almost territorial behaviour when he saw Hinata… why he would act that way was beyond him.

Shino suddenly remembered that he had not spoken to Sasuke for a while, and took out his phone. It rang until it went to voicemail. He sent a message that he wanted to speak to him, then called again. Same as before.

Akamaru got up and went into the hall, and Shino soon heard him scratching at the door. Time for a walk, maybe the fresh air would clear his head.

.

At two in the morning, a few hours after Shino had gone to bed, Kiba called.

"Shino, come visit me, I miss you~!"

"You're drunk."

"Just a lil' tipsy, c'mon you gotta come, Kankuro wants to meet you, and I really miss you!"

"Where are you?"

"_Desert Mist Host Club_ nearby, hurry up sexy!"

He hung up.

Akamaru snuffled in his sleep, and started to kick his legs out as if he were running.

Shino stifled a yawn, put on his glasses and started to type the name of the club into his phone's internet search.

He seemed to be keeping more and more anti-social hours lately.

The _Desert Mist Host Club_ was actually not too far from Kiba's place. Outside there were photos of the Hosts on a large board, and all looked lacquered and polished until they almost resembled mannequins. Shino wondered which one was Kiba's friend.

He entered the building and was walking past the welcome desk, when he heard, "can we help you?"

He turned and looked at the pair of immaculately manicured men in their pristine suits sitting at the desk, looking as if they had assessed him and found him wanting.

"Yes," he said eventually, "I'm meeting a friend inside."

"I'm sorry sir, this club is female clientele only."

"I'm meeting Inuzuka Kiba, he's working here tonight."

"You're Shino?" He turned to the voice behind him, there was a pretty blonde woman wearing a figure hugging purple dress. She looked at him dubiously for a long moment before speaking.

"He's wasted. His customers are leaving soon and he's holding it really well in front of them, but when they leave, you need to take his drunk ass home."

He guessed she was one of the managers. "I understand."

"Just find an empty booth and wait for him." She took a felt tip pen from the table and uncapped it. "Hold out your hand."

She had such a firm tone that Shino automatically did so, and she took his wrist and made an 'X' mark on the back of his hand with the pen. "That's so employees know you're helping a friend home. Follow me."

She gave him another look before turning on her impossibly high heels and walking down a corridor towards a large set of double doors. "You coming?" she called without looking back.

He followed, and there was a large burst of music when she opened the doors to a large nightclub room, lit only by spinning spotlights while loud music played.

"You can have a drink while you wait, Kankuro and Gaara are around in case you need any help, as for me I need to go sweeten up some clients." She made a mini salute gesture with her hand before making her way towards one of the seating areas.

Shino looked around. The dance floor was littered with couples or groups of giggling girls dancing with a man, and most of the booths in the alcoves were occupied. He couldn't see Kiba, but it was dark. He briefly lifted his sunglasses and looked around, but that didn't really help.

He turned and approached the bar; it was the most opulent bar he had ever seen, even more so than the _Golden Firefly_, and there were several bartenders making exotic drinks from bottles with tags.

The closest bartender, who had just put a tray of drinks onto the counter, looked in his direction and smiled. "Can I help you?"

He had a Chinese accent, and looked a little odd, but his smile was open and honest. "Water, if you please."

"Water?"

"I'm only here for a friend." He held up his marked hand.

"Ah, I see! Who are you here for?"

"Kiba."

The boy laughed. "Kiba? Good thing, last time he worked here he fell asleep in the toilets!"

He opened a bottle of water and filled a simple glass.

"Does he have to drink so much?"

The boy raised his impressive eyebrows in surprise. "Of course, to keep up with customers – it encourages them to spend more. I couldn't do it myself, but at least we have the system of getting friends to take hosts home. Is this your first time here?"

Shino nodded, and the boy glanced at the display unit behind him, where there was a gap between some large bottles.

"He's still with them, I'll let him know you're here when he brings the bottles back. Oh, and my name is Rock Lee, just so you know."

"Aburame Shino."

He sat in an empty boot near the bar, sipping his water occasionally. He saw a redheaded man in a suit approach Lee, leaning over the counter to talk to him. He couldn't hear them over the music but Lee's smile was unchanged as he spoke and inclined his head towards his direction. The redheaded boy briefly turned and gave him a flat look before turning and leaning back against the bar, arms crossed while he watched the main area. Shino could only suppose he was one of the other managers.

Suddenly someone sat opposite him, and he slid his gaze towards him without moving his head. He looked a little older than Shino, in a black suit, messy black hair and a pierced eyebrow. He seemed to be looking at him intently, and when Shino turned his head to fully look at him, his mouth stretched into what could only be called a smirk.

"You're Shino."

"Yes."

"You look just like I thought you would, only kinda dorkier."

"Do I."

"Yeah, Kiba said you've known each other for nearly two months but you haven't fucked yet? That's kinda weird."

"Excuse me, but who are you?"

"Kankuro. Thought it was obvious."

"I prefer to confirm before I assume, though since you are just as abrupt as Kiba, it makes sense that you are friends."

"Smartass." Kankuro downed some of the beer he had brought with him. "Figures."

"What?"

"He said you were smart and kinda weird and sexy, but with Kiba I should know that meant freakish."

"That's your opinion, and I've not made any assumptions about you."

"Oh yeah? What's dog boy said about me?"

"You've been friends for several years, he trusts you, and you once smacked someone so hard you broke Kiba's paddle."

Kankuro was mid-sip and snorted so hard he had to quickly put down his bottle, laughing loudly until his shoulders hook. After a moment he looked up at Shino, with what looked like a genuine smile. "He told you about that!"

"Yes."

"Bet he still bitches about it, like I fucking care anyway. It was worth it, she was a bad girl, oh God her tits - "

Normally when someone apart from Kiba started on the details of their sex lives, Shino tended not to listen because he really couldn't care less, but now he saw the combination of the words and Kankuro's stare... he could understand why he and Kiba once dated.

Gradually, Kankuro's smile lessened slightly, and he leaned back against the booth seat and pulled out, what else, a pack of cigarettes and lighter from his pocket.

"So," the older boy said as he lit up, "I gotta ask you something - "

"Shino!" That was the only warning he got before Kiba appeared out of nowhere and pounced on him, slobbering kisses on his face.

"There y'are! I was lookin' all over for ya!"

"I told Lee where you could find me."

"Yeah but I couldn't see ya here, all cuddled up with this handsome bastard."

Shino managed to untangle Kiba's wandering hands long enough for Kiba to sit properly, although the other boy still had him in an almost-hug.

"So you've already found each other, hope you weren't trying to steal him away Kankuro, 'cos he's all mine!"

Even in the poor light he could tell that Kiba's face was flushed from the alcohol. Hopefully he wouldn't be sick again.

"Wouldn't dare, got a hot girlfriend at home, and even if I tried you'd cut my balls off."

"Fuckin' cut them off and feed them to Akamaru!"

Kiba let go of Shino long enough to take one of Kankuro's cigarettes and tuck it behind his ear.

"One for later," he grinned widely. "Right now though, I'm hungry." Without warning he suddenly pulled down Shino's scarf and began to slowly nip and lick his neck gently. Shino shifted uncomfortably, and tried to push him away.

Through this, Kankuro's expression was unchanged apart from a slightly raised eyebrow. Finally, he said, "Nerd boy, you should take him home. Lightweight pussy can't handle drinks with little girls."

That was enough for Kiba's to tear himself away from Shino's neck.

"I'm not a pussy, those girls were fucking hardcore."

"Whatever, fuck off and go home."

"Fuck you right in the ear."

Shino was now wiping his neck with a paper napkin. "You reek of alcohol," he commented, turning to leave. "It was nice to meet you, Kankuro."

"Likewise."

Once outside in the breeze Kiba seemed relatively steady on his feet, but he seemed interested in trying to sit down on the pavement.

Eventually he managed to half-drag Kiba down the road and Kiba eventually slung an arm around his head rolled onto Shino's shoulder. "So, whadya think of Kankuro?"

"He's strange."

"That's why we're best friends, love that asshole."

"Why do you call each other names?"

"Just something we do, I dunno."

"I don't understand why people who like each other swear at each other and call each other names."

"Mmmm, he's my best friend, I can call him shit cos he's my best friend, love him so much, my Player 2, don't tell him I said that."

"Your what?"

"Player 2, hold up a sec."

They stopped outside a restaurant and Kiba began to pat his pockets, eventually pulling out his lighter, and took the cigarette tucked behind his ear. He tried lighting up but the breeze in the air was too strong.

"I don't understand why you like smoking. They smell horrible and surely you know they'll kill you."

"Don't judge me, bug boy."

After a few more tries, Kiba swore then looked at Shino and smiled. "Open ya jacket,"

"Excuse me?"

"If ya open your jacket so I can light up."

"No."

"Please please please please~"

"No."

"I'll light it quick so the smell won't stick on you."

Eventually Shino opened his coat to stop his whining. To his word Kiba quickly ducked his head inside the makeshift alcove the coat made, lit the cigarettes and moved away quickly to exhale.

"Thanks."

"Never ask me to do that again, I'll have to clean this jacket when I get home."

"Hmmm." Kiba put his free arm around Shino's waist and started to kiss his collarbone.

"I've also noticed my clothes have started to smell of smoke."

Kiba hummed again. "Sorry." But he seemed more interested in kissing, moving up to kiss Shino fully on the lips while bringing their groins closer together until they met. There was a small jolt of arousal that went straight to Shino's groin at the contact, as well as the realisation that Kiba was semi-hard, and he opened his mouth for a deeper kiss.

Eventually he remembered himself, and pulled away a little.

"We're in public."

Kiba actually pouted, his eyes hazy with alcohol and arousal.

"Aw, but I wanna..." Shino reluctantly turned his head away when Kiba went for another kiss.

With his head turned, he saw they were in front of an all-night restaurant, but then, inside, he also saw Hinata and Neji seated by the window, looking as surprised as he felt.

Kiba had continued, kissing and nipping his neck as if he could eat Shino up. He moved up to whisper in Shino's ear, "I wanna fuck you."

.

It turned out Kiba really was hungry, staggering to the order counter as soon as they entered the restaurant, leaving Shino to stand by the door.

How he felt... was beyond description, somewhere far past mortification into real fear.

What if they were disgusted? What if they told his parents? This would be more than enough to break the engagement without any fault falling on Hinata.

Everyone would know… would his parents disown him?

However, once it became apparent Shino would not be moving from the door by himself, Hinata stood and approached him. She smiled gently and took his hand, leading him to their table.

"We won't tell anyone," Neji said once Shino sat down.

Hinata spoke quietly as she squeezed his hand reassuringly. "I couldn't live with myself if we did, it's your life."

Relief flooded Shino's system, yet at the same time felt so emotionally drained he slumped back in his seat. It was almost a minute before he spoke.

"Thank you."

"He's the person you're with, that explains why you didn't say much about him. But I suppose that's why you didn't tell me... and I must admit I'm a little surprised that..." Hinata blushed slightly, "that you like men."

"...Only a few people know, and he is the first person that I am seeing."

"What is his name?"

"Kiba."

"That's my name!" Kiba didn't sit as much fling himself onto the seat next to Shino, grinning widely and holding on to a large bowl of ramen.

"Yo," was his sole introduction before he dug into his food as if he was starving, not minding the looks the other three people at the table were giving him.

"So," he said between slurps, "You're Hinata, nice to meet you, who's the stranger dude with you?"

"Hyuuga Neji, Hinata's cousin." Neji's eyebrows were raised slightly at Kiba's lack of manners.

"I'm Kiba, king of badassery."

"Nice to meet you. Hungry?"

"You have no idea, just finished work and I need something to soak up the booze."

Neji looked at Shino, expectant.

"He is a club host."

"Oh."

Hinata spoke up "I heard that being a host was difficult… do you enjoy it?"

"Yeah, just can't take drinking all the time. I mean, when I met Shino, I nearly puked on him."

"Really?

"Yeah, but he took care of me."

Hinata and Kiba chatted while finishing their meals, and Neji ate his in relative silence.

Shino was concentrating on relaxing as much as he could; this was all a bit sudden for him.

Eventually everyone stood to leave, and Hinata smiled at Kiba. "It was nice to meet you."

"Same here! Where you guys off to now?"

Kiba and Hinata were heading towards the door when Shino suddenly remembered something. He offered his hand to Neji, and when he took it, he suddenly tightened his grip and pulled him close so he could speak quietly in his ear.

"I know you have changed from when you were thirteen, but I need to say this… if you ever hurt Hinata in any way again, I will find you and break your legs."

When he let go Neji nodded, a faint hint of an understanding smile on his lips.

"That is more than fair, and I meant what I said earlier."

"Thank you."

"But you need to be honest with your parents."

"... I know."

.

_Phone email from Uzumaki. N to Aburame. S._

_Is Sasuke seeing someone else?_

Shino was reading in the library when he received the message. He raised an eyebrow slightly when he read it. What made Naruto think that? He considered ignoring it, perhaps this was something to do with their earlier flight, but instead decided to reply.

_Phone email from Aburame. S to Uzumaki. N._

_No. What makes you think so?_

_Phone email from Uzumaki. N to Aburame. S._

_He disappears randomly, and acts weird, gets pissed when I asked him where he's been._

_Phone email from Aburame. S to Uzumaki. N._

_He has been like that for as long as I've known him._

_Phone email from Uzumaki. N to Aburame. S._

_Last week he said if I kept asking annoying questions he'd leave me like my ma's family._

Oh.

Shino packed up his things and left the library; he needed to call Naruto and speak to him about this. But, when he opened the exit doors, he saw Naruto was already outside, leaning against the tinted glass windows.

"Thought you'd be here." He wasn't smiling. "What's been going on?"

"I don't know... did he really say that?"

"Yeah. I flipped out and punched him in the face. That was a week ago and I haven't talked to him yet."

"Has he tried to contact you?"

"No."

"His behaviour has been unusual lately... I assumed it was due to that it has nearly been three years since, since his brother."

"I'm not stupid, I thought about that. He talks about it every now and then, but now it's like he just wants to keep it inside and stay angry. Especially when his 'kaasan relapses again."

"I thought she was better again? Or is it Itachi?"

"Sick bastard… Sasuke says every few months, anytime she seems like her old self Itachi likes to remind her he's around." Naruto sighed, one of his hands playing with his jacket zipper.

"I dunno, I've been trying since day one, but it's like he's not even there sometimes, y'know, like his mind is someone else, and when he said that, about... fuck, I just saw red."

"I understand."

"You don't. I told him everything and he knows it's not my fault, _he knows_. He knows it's not my fault 'kaasan died to have me. Every time I see dad he tells me how much she wanted me."

"Have you told him what happened?"

"Nope, used up all my visits for this month. I was going to tell him on the phone but then I know he'd flip out."

Shino was not entirely sure what to say, but tried anyway.

"Naruto, I'll try to speak to him… he may say more to me."

Instead of the expected crack about Shino and Sasuke never talking, Naruto just nodded. Shino had never seen him look so miserable.

"Perhaps if I had been around more recently I would have been able to help sooner," he found himself saying.

"What? No way, you've got your own life, you're not his babysitter. You guys have been there through all our shit, but you gotta do your own thing."

"Perhaps."

"No perhaps!"

A group of girls were walking in their direction, and Shino moved aside and towards Naruto to let them pass and enter the building.

"What's that?" Naruto was looking at his collar, and when Shino looked down he saw the top two buttons of his shirt were undone. He had unbuttoned them earlier because the library was warm, and he now saw that a small section of the chain, Kiba's gift, was now visible.

"This?" He pulled out the chain from his shirt. "It was a birthday present."

"Nice - wait, hold on a sec, is that..."

Naruto reached out and touched Shino's shirt collar, pulling it aside. Shino tried to ignore how uncomfortable he felt. Few scars were visible but Naruto's fingers were prodding lightly at his collarbone.

"Is that _a love bite_?"

"What?"

"You've got marks all over your neck! Either someone's been pinching your neck or you've been involved in some hot and heavy makeouts!"

Shino suddenly realised what Naruto meant, and quickly stepped out of Naruto's reach and began to button his shirt.

Naruto's eyes lit up, and a wide smile was growing.

"They are love bites! He must really be into you! That chain from him as well?"

After a moment Shino nodded the affirmative.

"You're blushing!"

"I'm not."

"You so fucking are! You two did it yet?"

"Why are you so interested in my personal life?"

"Cos you've never had one before! And usually I'm busy with that bastard, this is like a holiday for me! So come on, is he good in bed?"

Shino was about to tell Naruto it was none of his business when Naruto's phone beeped. He pulled out his phone and at the screen.

"It's Chouji, forgot I was meeting him. So when do we get to really meet the neck biter?"

"We're still getting to know each other, and he works at night."

"Don't take too long, we need to meet him!"

After Naruto left, Shino quickly made his way to the library's restroom.

It really had been a long time since he had last spoken to Sasuke, let alone had a real conversation… not since the day he told Kiba he had a fiancée.

He should call him soon.

When he reached the bathroom he went to the sinks and looked at his reflection in the mirror. There was a slight blush on his cheeks, so Naruto really wasn't exaggerating, and when he pulled back the collar he saw Naruto also was not exaggerating about the 'love bites'. His collar bone was dotted with red marks of varying size that stood out rather vividly on his pale skin, and when he leaned in for a closer inspection he saw some of the marks were a deeper red than others… and were those teeth marks?

He took out his phone.

"M'moshi?" Kiba sounded as if he had been asleep.

"What did you do to my neck?"

"Wha?" Definitely asleep.

"My neck is covered in red marks where you were kissing me, what did you do? Naruto said they were love bites."

"Naruto? Why he lookin'?"

"My shirt collar was open, what are they?"

"Just some fun, if you wanna return the favour you can but lower down, and by lower down I mean my di - "

"But what are they for?"

"Did you like it when I was doin' it?"

"... yes."

"There ya go." A yawn, "You wanna come over later?"

"Perhaps, if I don't have any studying later." Shino looked into the mirror again, pulling the shirt collar slightly. The marks really stood out.

"Studying? Isn't it the holiday soon?"

"I like to stay ahead. Kiba, don't do it again."

"Can't promise that."

Shino buttoned his collar up. He remembered something.

"Kiba, about what you said last night," he trailed off, unsure of what he said.

"What I said? What did I say?"

"... nothing of importance, I'll speak to you later."

He hung up.

.

_..._

_Taptap._

_...tap._

_...taptaptap._

Shino woke to a tapping sound. He lifted his head and looked around for the source of the noise, remnants of sleep still clinging to him.

_TaptaptapTHUD._

The window?

He put on his glasses and got out of bed and went to the curtains, pulling them back slightly, and nearly jumped out of his skin. Kiba was at his window in his work clothes, balancing with one foot on the ledge and the other on the nearby tree branch.

He was so surprised he could only stare for several moments, until Kiba impatiently tapped the window, startling him into opening it.

"Kiba? What are you doing?"

"Were you asleep?" His face and voice were worryingly subdued.

"I was, but why are you here?"

Kiba only shrugged.

"Come inside before you fall and break your neck."

He held out his hand, and after a moment Kiba took it.

His hand was cold, and when he was fully inside, Shino found himself taking both of Kiba's hands and rubbing them so he could warm up faster.

Kiba took off his shoes while Shino took Kiba's jacket and hung it on the coat-hook on his door. He led Kiba to the bed and made him sit while he closed the window, leaving the curtains open so they could see. When he turned back, Kiba had not moved at all. Shino sat next to him, waiting. Eventually Kiba leaned against Shino's shoulder, and it only seemed right for Shino to put his arm around him. They were soon lying back on the unmade bed.

"I'm probably gonna be fired, I punched a client."

Shino turned his head to look at him, but Kiba was staring at the ceiling.

"Why did you punch him?"

At first, it seemed like Kiba wasn't going to answer, but eventually he sighed.

"I kinda... kinda left a few things out about what happened, when I was a kid and lost. I was on the streets for at least a month, tried begging for a day, before I realised I'd get more from stealing."

"One night I was wondering around Kabukichō when I saw this drunk guy a few years older than me on the street, and drunks are a real easy target. So I distracted him and got his wallet, but I didn't see his friends were nearby. They caught me, dragged me into an alley and beat the shit out of me. Next thing I know I got shoved against a wall, saw one of them holding a knife and the others yelling at him and running off. I remember... think I remember, looking down and seeing all the blood."

"I think I knew there was a hospital nearby, so I started walking. Didn't even hurt at first but the further I went the pain started and just got worse."

"No - " Shino stopped himself. "No one saw you?"

"It was late and dark, plus it was raining so no one saw the blood on the street. Don't know if I got too far cos I passed out. Woke up in hospital, a soapland girl had found me and called an ambulance and stayed with me. I wasn't anything to the hospital guys so she just made up a story; didn't ask her to. When they let me out I stayed with her for a bit, she was awesome but she couldn't afford to look after both of us, and I really wanted Hana to find me so I went to an orphanage to wait it out."

"Did you ever see her again?"

"Shizune? Yeah, she gave me money when she could, then a few years ago she struck lucky and married a rich guy and said I could live in one of the apartments he rented out, so now she's kinda my landlady."

That explained a lot.

"But what does this have to do with why you hit that man?"

"When I got to the place, as soon as I saw him I knew he was the guy that stabbed me. I tried to leave, said he could keep the money, but he tried to stop me and when he started to get rough I smashed his face in and ran off." Kiba sighed, "I'm so fired."

"What if you explain the situation?"

"No one wants a violent rent boy unless they've paid for it, so word gets around."

"If that happens, what will you do?"

"I dunno," The words came out in a soft exhalation, "Shit, I don't...I haven't thought about it, I just wanted to come see you."

"Was the place you met the client nearby?"

"Kyōbashi." Other side of the city, but Shino did not comment.

Nothing more was said that night, and they slowly fell asleep.

Shino woke to movement in the bed. He opened his eyes and saw Kiba rolling over to look at the bedside clock. He swore quietly and looked at Shino.

"You awake?"

"I am now."

"I gotta get out of here."

"Now?" It felt like they had just fallen asleep.

"It's 5am."

Shino half-crawled over Kiba and peered closely at the clock. Kiba was right.

"How do I get out? Window again?" Shino looked around for his glasses but Kiba pushed them into his hands. He wiped the lenses with his sleeve and put them on.

"The neighbours might see you. My parents aren't awake yet so the front door should be fine."

Kiba quickly got up and put on his jacket, he tried to smooth down his hair as he grabbed his shoes, but it looked even messier than before.

Shino listened for any noise as he got up and approached his bedroom door. He heard nothing so far but he knew they woke up at around this time. He opened the door quietly and looked down the hallway. Empty.

Shino looked back at Kiba and made a 'be quiet' motion, and the brunet only rolled his eyes; obviously he would. He took Shino's hand with his free one, and they quietly walked out the room and down the hallway. It was an old house, and the everyday noises of the floor now seemed to be magnified by about twenty times. It was if a loudspeaker was next to every squeak and groan of the wood wherever they stepped.

The stairs protested loudly as they went down.

"Geeze," Shino heard Kiba say quietly, "How fuckin' noisy is your house?"

He had to silently agree.

After what felt like an eternity, they reached the bottom of the stairs, where weak morning light was filtering in, and Kiba went around Shino to sit on the step of the entryway porch, where all the family's shoes were kept, to put on his shoes. When he was done, he stood up and turned to Shino, who was leaning against the wall slightly. Shino was now half a head taller than him because on the porch step.

"Thanks," he said, still managing to keep his voice down.

"You're welcome."

"No, really, thanks. You..." Impulsively, Kiba stood up on tiptoe forward and kissed him.

They had of course kissed before, and would do so again in the future, but right now this one felt different, as if this was their first real kiss. The feeling shook Shino slightly, but he responded as passionately as he could.

When they separated, even their body language was different. As Kiba rocked back on his heels he realised Kiba's hands had been in his pockets and not all over him as usual, while his own had remained by his sides.

They looked at each other for a long moment.

Kiba was looking at him as if it was the first time he was really seeing Shino.

Shino's heart was pounding.

Finally, _finally_, Kiba took a hand out of his pocket and took Shino's chin gently. He kissed him again, briefly, almost sweetly.

"Bye."

"Bye."

When the front door clicked closed behind Kiba, Shino heard his parent's bedroom door squeak, and a moment later he heard his father's voice.

"Shino? Are you down there? Is there someone at the door?"

Shino sighed, and stepped away from the porch.

"No, I thought I heard something, but it's nothing."

* * *

**REVIEW RESPONSE!**

Karma222 - Sorry for the delay, hope you liked the update!

yeah9fun - Your review made me laugh and laugh. Seriously. Plus I'm glad you enjoyed the fic :3

NaughtyandSpicyGirl - Hooray! I'm glad the prequel sucked more people in, mwahahaha! PS ShikaChou is one of my my OTPs, think I shipped them before ShinoKiba

necrophile - I WILL finish this fic. I may have Real Life and other stuff interfering but I need to finish this, the need is in my bones ._.

Thank you *sobs* I do worry sometimes about having so many pairings in this fic but to be honest I just love them ^^

caraniente – Hahahaha. Ninjas are awesome and made win!

Yeah, I can't stand those typical angst-fests of rentboy! fics. I mean, yeah it's a morally grey profession where exploitation can happen, but there are people who have an okay time with it. I'm not condoning the profession but it's interesting to look at it from an angle that isn't 100% tragic.

I'm also surprised at how long this has become, when I was planning it out I knew it would be the longest story I'd written so far, but now it's like...half a novel so far o_. But I suppose realism takes time.

Bob Da Peach - Thank you! And yes, people need to know Shino isn't emotionless!

Nekokonneko - I do my best with every fic, because I want to be a professional one day I take every story very seriously. Even in the silly fics!

I live to convert people to ShikaChou, they are just so sweet! It's a shame they aren't as popular but I guess it's because Chouji isn't conventially good looking

roses in bloom – Thank you!

Miss Independent 95 – Thanks!

Shamalan - It's okay not to like all the pairings in the fic, as long as it doesn't take away the enjoyment of the rest of the story it's all good^^

Yeah ShinoKiba is a pairing that needs time, Shino just isn't the type to jump into sex-tiemz

Shadowdolls – I LIVE TO CONVERT :|

earthbender068 – So much to reply to! I'll do my best~!

I'll be honest here, I actually prefer well written fanfics over books sometimes, they give me what I want o.o

Kankuro paddling Kiba...I'm sure that there's a fic of there out there, I'm certain of it. Possibly written by Shino.

Of course you have only noble intentions for kissing Kiba, I believe you ;)

I think Shino still doesn't know exactly what to make of Kiba and why he likes him so much, because they seem so different. I mean we all know opposites attract but it seems like an alien concept to him. As for Kiba...well, we'll see.

Kiba really needs to give up smoking, if he wants to be old and awesome :)

If I was Shibi I would be a bit suspicious, Kiba is defiantly not like Shino's friends and he isn't the type to just bring random people home.

I do love how Shino and Kiba are gradually opening up to each other in such a sincere way. I've noticed that a few people open up to Shino (probably because he's so quiet and they know he won't tell anyone) but the only person he's really, really opened up to is Kiba. Think that says a lot.

I honestly think Shino's never watched porn, he'd probably think it was too crude, whereas Kiba would have a mini-library, cos he's classy like that.

The only way Kiba would be happy to die would be if it involved an epic bloody battle, and fire, lots of fire.

Hahahaha, you're right about the cleaning thing, when I read your review I went "shit, she's right," and added that scene at the beginning XD

Despite his recklessness, I can't really see Kiba being dumb with his money, especially as he's been basically supporting himself for years. Think after everything he likes to be sure what's what with his money and situation.

I think Shino would be great moral support, and Kiba would be as well. You're right as well, Kiba can't be 'omg badass' all the time, it's nice to see his doubtful side every now and then.

Jealous eh? I'll see what I can do.

MizzAKA – Oh don't you worry the limey/lemony goodness will arrive...one day *is lame* I'm a perv too but these two need time.

Amy – Hi Amy! *waves* Always nice to meet a lurker. Sorry for the long wait, but I hope you it has all the goodness you need~

Btw your English is very good ^^

demonlifehealer – I love that everyone is rooting for ShikaChou :3 I think a big part of the story is growing out of the 'school-age' (so to speak) and into 'adulthood', as it was on my mind when I started the story. Honestly I'm now a 'grown-up' with a job and everything it still surprises me how scary the world is out of school o.0

Sasuke and Naruto...no matter which universe they always seem to have DRAMA!

I've never visited or been anywhere near Japan, though I would love to one day~. I read a lot about it, and any other questions I have I ask my regular beta, as she lived in Japan for a year. Lucky bitch.

Marrying your cousin is uncommon but legal in Japan. In fact it's legal in most countries. I suppose even I didn't think it was too odd because it's legal here in the UK.

perplexic - Aww, I love that I'm your reviewing first, I'm special~

I kinda didn't intend for ShikaChou's story to be a parallel conflict, but I'm glad it did. They are at the age now when they have to man-up and deal with things properly. They didn't really feature in this chapter but trust me they will be back~

I swear, do you live in my head? Because the scar was based from that fight, it was actually the first time I actually sat up and thought that Kiba was pretty kickass. I have so much love for the Sasuke Retrieval Arc, made me love so many characters and launched so many ships

Turtle Kid the Woolgatherer - Oh yes, Shikamaru is right, but Shino still needs to work up the corage.

FlameyFlame - You were right, 24 isn't old, now I'm 25 I'm REALLY old, hehehe.

I haven't actually decided yet if I'll include a scene with Hana or not, I guess we'll both see!

YAY! Another Hetalia fan, I do loves it so. Hope you like my fics, my Hetalia love my history nerdiness. I have to be completely vain here, which one did you like the most?

bored spitless – Poor poor Chouji, everyone can see Shikamaru loves him except for him *hugs Chouji*

With the parents, Shikamaru and Chouji's dads are best friends, Naruto's guardian is friendly with Shikaku and Chouza, and Shino's parents, and Shino's parents know Shikamaru and Chouji's, and Naruto's guardian through Shino but aren't super-close. Sasuke's family...well, you'll see.

Cuzosu – I kinda get Kishi's intention showing a person can change your life, but it really comes across to me that Hinata's development revolves solely around Naruto, and not other people as well. Really, really bugs me.

* * *

Oh yeah, OMGSANDSIBLINGSOMGWTFBBQ!1one!

GaaLee is one of my big OTPs, but in this story I'll leave it to you if they are a couple or not.

So what do you guys think? Love it? Hate it? Want to print out the chapter and hide it under your bed, then deny it when it's discovered? TELL ME!


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